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Minutes of First Meeting were passed.

Uasin Gishu Railway. The papers before the Committee were a memorandum by the Secretary, dated December 30th", summarising the information available; a memorandum by Sir J. Eaglesome, dated January 10th, suggesting that it might be preferable at present, instead of the projected line from Nakuru to Mumias, to construct a line with the same maximum gradients as the main line from Londiani to Eldoret and beyond to the end of the region of white settlement, the Kavirondo district being developed by a line from Kisumu to Mumias; and a letter from Sir E. Northey, dated January 15th†7, commenting on the two memoranda, in which he stated his opinion that if a new ascent of the Mau escarpment was to be avoided, Mau Summit would be a better starting point than Londiuni, and that for the present the line might well stop at Soi.

Some discussion took place on the advantages and cost of the alternative routes; and it was decided to appoint a Sub-Committee to consider further the question of the route to be chosen, and, inter alia, to examine Major Grogan as to his intentions with regard to the development of the Eldama Forest.

As to the method of providing the capital required, the Chairman and Sir H. Read suggested that Sir J. Norton Griffiths's scheme was worth careful consideration, and the details of this scheme were briefly discussed. The issue of 6 per cent. Trans-Zambesia Railway bonds, guaranteed as to interest and partly as to principal by the Nyasaland Government at the price of 93, afforded some indication of the price that might be obtained in the case of the Uasin Gishu Railway. It was decided to refer this question also to the Sub-Committee, who would consider further whether it would be advantageous to include in the loan any other projected works in the East Africa Protectorate such as the Thika-Fort Hall railway extension or the Kilindini harbour works.

The following were appointed as the Sub-Committee:-Sir H. Read, Sir E. Northey, Sir W. Mercer, and Sir J. Eaglesome, with Mr. Ezechiel to act as Secretary.

Mr. Williams's Report§; Col. Cottrell's Memorandum↑; Mr. Gideon Murray's Letter on British Guianal. The discussion of these was postponed.

The next meeting would be arranged when the report of the Uasin Gishu Sub-Committee was ready.

THIRD MEETING, FRIDAY, 20TH FEBRUARY, 1920.

PRESENT:

Col. AMERY (in the Chair).

Sir W. MERCER.

Mr. DAWSON.

Sir H. READ.

Mr. GRINDLE.

Mr. EZECHIEL (Secretary).

Sir Edward Northey also attended again by special invitation.

Minutes of second meeting were passed.

Uasin Gishu Railway and Thika Tramway Extension. The report¶ of the Sub-Committee was considered, and generally agreed to.

Sir H. Read expressed the opinion that there was much to be said for providing money at once in the proposed loan for an extension of the Thika Tramway not only to Fort Hall (31 miles), but for about 50 miles beyond to Nyeri. This further extension was not yet surveyed, but the country to be traversed was of the same easy character, and the line would tap country already settled, and the Kikuyu reserve, and promised to pay well. The whole extension, including this portion, would probably not cost more than about £500,000. The proposal was agreed to.

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Sir J. Norton Griffiths and Mr. E. de Stein were called in to discuss the matter further with the main committee. Sir J. Norton Griffiths said that he was very anxious, if the con- struction of the ines was entrusted to him, to establish a "record as regards both economy and rapidity of construction. His idea would be to build a rough pioneer line without "works of art," such as complete stations and platforms, as quickly as possible, using, if necessary, funicular haulage of trains over slopes and temporary bridges, thus enabling both lines to be opened for traffic a year or so after commencement, and to rectify and complete the work after- wards without interfering with the traffic, He was informed that the Secretary of State was disposed to give him the contract, subject to the satisfactory settlement of specifications, estimates, and other conditions.

He enquired whether the Uganda Railway would be able to supply him with some old rolling stock for construction purposes, and Sir E. Northey stated in reply that he thought this might be arranged.

The Committee considered that it should be borne in mind in the construction of the Uasin Gishu line that it may hereafter be found very desirable to alter the gauge from a metre to 3 ft. 6 in. Sir J. N. Griffiths said that pressed steel sleepers could be made adaptable to such a change by means of extra keys. But he considered it would save considerably in initial cost

• No. 2, page 60.

† Not printed.

No. 3, page 67.

No. 1, page 28.

No. 19, page 93.

Soe Appendix II to No. 2, page 65. Report I, page 13.

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if the sleepers could be made from local timber, provided that they could, by the Powell or some other process, be rendered immune, even for a few years, from destruction by white ants. He undertook to enquire into this. As to the supply of hard wood from the local forests, he was recommended to communicate with Major Grogan.

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As regards finance, it was agreed that the money for these railways should be obtained in the cheapest manner, namely, by the issue of a loan under the Colonial Stock Acts. It was pointed out that the debentures of a company guaranteed by a Colonial Government would not be a trustee security, and Mr. de Stein admitted that in the circumstances he could not provide money on terms as favourable as could be obtained by the issue of colonial stock. gested, however, that there might still be advantage to the Government in the plan of issuing the stock not direct to the public in a single issue, but in instalments by way of payment to the contractor, who would arrange with Mr. de Stein's group for placing out the stock as issued. The price at which the contractor would accept the stock would be either a fixed price determined once for all, or a varying price determined from time to time on defined basis in relation to the price of other colonial stocks. He also enquired whether the Committee would care to consider any suggestions that he might be able to frame in the altered circumstances for the formation of a up development in East Africa, probably with a percentage of American capital. He was trust company to take informed that any proposition he might put forward in connection either with the issue of stock to the contractor or with the formation of a company would be received with interest and carefully considered.

Sir E. Northey was authorised to send a telegram to the Protectorate announcing that the construction of the Uasin Gishu Railway had been approved in principle, and would be pro- cooded with when the arrangements had been settled in detail,

Kilindini Harbour-Nyasaland Railway Extension.-Sir H. Read proposed that the next concrete proposal to be considered by the Committee should be those for the construction of deep-water quays in Kilindini Harbour (Mombasa Island) and for the northward extension of the Nyasaland Railway to Lake Nyasa. It was decided to refer these to the same Sub-Committee which had dealt with the Uasin Gishu Railway project, Sir Owen Philipps being asked to serve in connection with the discussion on Kilindini Harbour,

The next meeting of the main Committee was fixed for Wednesday, 17th March, at 4 p.m.

FOURTH MEETING, WEDNESDAY, 17TH MARCH, 1920.

PRESENT:

Colonel AMERY (in the Chair).

Sir OWEN PHILIPPS.

Mr. NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN.

Sir W. MERCER.

Sir J. EAGLESOME.

Mr. DAWSON.

Sir H. READ.

Mr. GRINDLE,

Mr. MATTHEW.

Mr. EZECHIEL (Secretary).

Sir E. Northey was again present by sperial invitation.

Minutes of third meeting were passed.

Uasin Gishu Railway-Sir H. Read and Sir W. Mercer reported that progress had been made in the negotiation of the terms of a draft contract with Sir J. Norton Griffiths, and that the proposal was that a preliminary agreement should be entered into, and that survey engineers representing the Government and the contractors should go over the route together and agree upon preliminary estimates of cost and time, upon which a construction contract would then be based. It was agreed that enquiries should be made into the antecedents of the proposed con- tractor before the contract was given to him. Sir W. Mercer mentioned that Sir J. N, Griffiths had furnished a draft contract, which was for a complete standard line, and did not provide for the construction in the first instance of a "pioneer railway"; he suggested that the contractor might be given an interest in opening the line for traffic as early as possible by allowing him a percentage of all traffic takings up to the date of completion. Alternatively, Mr. Chamberlain suggested that the contract might be in the first instance for a pioneer line only, the work of completion being either carried out departmentally at leisure afterwards or provided for by a second contract. Sir J. Eaglesome suggested that the laying of a temporary surface line for construction purposes from Mau summit to the nearest point on the trace of the new line (probably not more than about 15 miles in length) would be cheap, and might be very useful, both in speeding up construction and in getting away the produce awaiting transportation.

Kilindini Harbour.--Sir H. Read stated that the Sub-Committee were not yet in a position to present a report, but were agreed, after hearing evidence from Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice, that the Government scheme prepared by his firm in 1913 was preferable to an alternativo scheme proposed for construction on Major Grogan's land, and would now proceed to consider the ques- tion how much of the Government scheme should be undertaken at once, and how the money for it should be found.

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