"The railway police has always been an inefficient force largely for the reason that it has never been properly drilled and has not acquired the morale. of regular military forces. It has been useful in protecting railway stations from-attacks by local bandits, but has never been able to afford any protection to the railway line between stations. It is evident that an immobile force whose duties are confined to station platforms cannot be any protection to the railway lines except that part of it which is included in station yards. For the protection of statidhs and yards this force is already too large and should be reduced by one-half. For the protection of the railway line dependence must be placed upon mobile provincial forces.
"In my opinion the proposition, which has been considered since the Lincheng derailment, of increasing the railway police, of-ticering this force with foreigners and holding it responsible for the protection of the railway line, is entirely unsound and impracticable. This railway police force should be decreased or entirely dismissed and, if necessary, the funds used for the support of his force should be placed at the disposal of provincial military authorities for the purpose of increasing the efficiency of their forces which could be used against any local disturbers of the peace. does not seem to me that there is any way of making a railway police force efficient except by regular military drill, and if this were done there should be no difference between the railway police and the ordinary military forces of the provinces, with the exception that the railway police would be a detached organization and thus at a disadvantage aS compared with the provincial forces which are a part of the military administra-
"As my proposition affects the Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of the Interior, as well as the Ministry over which you preside, I request that you will be so good as' to present the contents of this letter t& your colleagues in the Cabinet."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.