Rves'
270
We had reason to hope, however, that Mr. Eves' relationship with the Department of Public Works had already improved and would continue to do so.
Mr. Eves has organized the office work of each department excellently in every way and no improvement can be suggested.
Ever since the commencement of the works, the principal difficulties which had to be contended with were the insufficiency of local labour, the high prices asked by local native contractors for all classes of work, the difficulty of transport owing to the fact that the ridge of hills through which the tunnel will pass acts as an insurmountable barrier cutting off the north face of the tunnel and all the railway beyond from the base of operations at Kowloon, except by a long and circuitous sea passage mostly over water that during the North-east monsoon is always more or less stormy.
He has also had to contend with an unusual amount of sickness among the labourers and others owing to the unhealthy nature of the locality at the north face of the tunnel, and the works were also much damaged and delayed by the late serious typhoon.
As we have already said, the labour difficulty has not yet been overcome and can, we think, only be solved by the importation of coolies from other parts of China. On the tunnel alone, if it is to be completed in 3 years, a force of about 1,500 or 2,000 men, exclusive of the bricklayers, will be required.
The other matters affecting progress are more easily dealt with and may not be expected to recur.
Mr. Eves has already collected a moderate force of Pathan labour from Upper India; these men are used to working in rock cuttings in hilly country and many of them have experience as tunnel miners; they have therefore proved very useful, the more so as it was impossible to get local contractors to quote reasonable rates for the class of work until...
they
eas...
Rves'
270
We had reason to hope, however, that "r. relationship with the Department of Public "orks had already improved and would continue to do so.
Ir. Eves has organized the office work of each department excellently in every way and no improvement can be suggested.
Ever since the commencement of the works the principal difficulties which had to be contended with were the insufficiency of local labour, the high prices asked by local native contractors for all classes of work, the difficulty of transport owing to the fact that the ridge of hills through which the tunnel will pass acts as an unsurmountable barrier cutting off the north face of the tunnel and all the railway beyond from the base of operations at Kowloon, except by a long and circuitous sea passage mostly over water that during the North-east monsoon is always more or less stormy.
He has also had to contend with an unusual amount of sickness among the labourers and others owing to the unhealthy nature of the locality at the north face of the tunnel, and the works were also uch damaged and delayed by the late serious typhoon.
As we have already said, the labour difficulty has not yet been overcome and can, we think, only be solved by the importation of coolies from other parts of China. On the tunnel alone if it is to be completed in 3 years a force of about 1,500 or 2,000 men, exclusive of the bricklayers, will be required.
The other matters affecting progress are more easily dealt with and may not be expected to recur.
Mr. Pyes has already collected a moderate force of
Pathan labour from Upper India; these men are used to working
in rock cuttings in hilly country and many of them have experience as tunnel miners; they have therefore proved very useful, the more so as it was impossible to get local con- tractors to quote reasonable rates for the class of work until
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they
eas
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