Nanking, Mar. 9.
Adoption of drastic measures for! the removal of various obstacles to! the smooth and efficient administra tion of the Government's railways in is urged by the Ministry of Rail ways in a petition submitted yesterday to the Central Executive Com: gross earnings of the Peking-Hankow Railway, in two or three years, should easily reach, $40,000, 400, and, after proper changes have een set up for reserve and deprecia-ion, the railway should have an operation ratio of at most 50. per cent, or net earnings of at least 920,000,000 per year.
"After a personal inspe portion of the railway, fed that only nine per cent, of the resent sleepers in the track will ave sufficient life and contribute m any way to the holding of the track @uring the next five years. Tt will be necessary to purchase and apply at least 91 per cent, of the sleepers on this line during this period. Due the very bad condition of the sleepers and the absence of any Yroper maintenance system of conducting the permanent-way, the ails have been badly battered and pansion sadly neglected. Many ails are badly split, which is Liable e205 deratiment. a "Tt is believed that for the next Sve years consideration cannot be consistently given to the Yellow River Bridge, but this structure tained in the best lo, Keeping it safe Yor slow speed and light power.
"The railway has a total owner-Whip of 229 locomotives, 110 locomo-hives being on the line and 119 on other lines. Of the total ownership of goods and passenger locomotives, are on the line and 95 ther fines, most of them being held Manchuria, north of the Great Wall. Practically all of the equip-tment of this railway is in poor shape and in'need of general repairs. It believed that, due to its worn out] audition, obsolete type, and Light carrying capacity, it will be econ-amical to retire oF serap at least 75 per cent, of the railway's equipment, which represents some 25.346 tons of carrying ca paci "There is a great lack of practi-sal application and experience in the feonduct of the affairs of the rail-
Yay and an enormous amount of Inaste is apparent, This state of mittee.
The petition enumerates in detail the serious difficulties with which the Railway Authorities have been confronted in the course of the past few years as follows:
1. Obstacles to the centralization of administration:
(a) Inability of the Ministry to enforce its appointment and removal of the Directors of the' various Government oilway administrations.
(b) Commandeering of rolling! stock by military commanders.
(c) Military transportation, (a) Free rides by soldiers 2 Obstacles to the financial independence of the Railways:
(a) Military requisition of part, of the earnings of the railways.
(b) Imposition of various miscellaneous and exorbitant taxes! on the railways.
8, Obstacles to the construction of new railways:
Failure to earmark part of the Returned Boxer Indemnities for} the building of new railways.
In order, therefore, to remove! theta obstacles, the Ministry reeommends the adoption of the following measures:—(1) The State Council should be instructed to forbid the Militaxy. to interfere with the admixistrs tion of railways.
(2) 'The State Council should abolish by mandate Sit taxes and prohibit military' requisi tion of railway revenues.
(3) The State Council should promulgate at an early date measures for the readjustment of all National Loans so that the various Railway loans. may be re-adjusted.
(4) The Ministry of Financ should be instructed to appropriate two-thirds of the Rassian and Italian returned Boxer indemnity fonds for the completion of various projected. railways in acconlance with the resolution adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the Cential Bxerative "Comnitter—Kuo
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.