CO129-353 - Public Offices - 1908 — Page 66

63 simply means that the placing of the order with a home manufacturer is delayed while the local manufacturers are being communicated with. As a case in point, Mr. Grove mentioned that he had requested permission to purchase some steel caissons for bridge work from a firm in England who made a specialty of those articles, the steel plates of which the caissons were composed being unobtainable in China. The request was refused by the Director-General, who, quoting the clause above referred to, instructed Mr. Grove to place the order with a local firm. This will be done and as a consequence the delivery of the caissons will be delayed by at least two months, as the plating has to be imported from England.

With regard to a paragraph in the China Mail newspaper of July 23rd, intimating that things are not as they should be on the Chinese section of the Canton-Kowloon Railway and stating that the Board of Communications had requested the Viceroy to hold an enquiry, Mr. Grove informs me that unless the difficulties with regard to land purchase...