To the Editor of the "NonrH.CHiNa Dairy News"
Sim—I have to thank you for your review of this book in your issue of last Saturday (April 24)
note that your reviewer con-dernns railway allocation of the Boxer Indemnity on the score of its inadequacy.
The British share of the Boxer Indemnity was in 1920 £11,180,000 Jor say 100 million dollars. This money at $90,000 per mile would build say 1,250 miles of railway (equipped with a 60 Ibs rail) in eaky country, or taking the cost of the Lung Hai Railway which has been constructed spasmodically, but comparatively little obstruction, at a cost of $120,000) per mile, say 830 miles.
Of this expenditure at least 30 per cent. or say $40,000 per mile for imported material which is, presumably in this case, to be of British origin, Thi would total for the whole of the 820 miles a sum of $33,200,- 000 or £9.465,710: 0: 0: at the present rate of exchange, The reft revenue which would accrue to an extremely needy Gov Jernment totals $9,150 per mile per annum or a@ total of $7,600,000 annually for the 820 miles, This the basis of the Government, Returns of 1922; it is the average for the whole of the railways. for a year of war and disturbances, An efficiently managed railway in China will pay its operating expenses in " couple of yeary and the Tine could mot zau to he on paying basis in three to four years at the outside, if the money was wisely spent on suitable projects, In this last connexion it is as well to. mention that there are quite a number of abandoned railway projects in the country at the present time on which there has been consklerable expenditure, The estimated amount of thi as in the table below:—
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.