costs To the Editor of the "Nontu-CuiNa Daly News."
Sm—Seldom have I received more pleasure from any article in any newspaper than that which I had this morning when reading: what appeared under "An Ex-would not spoil my small library by including in. it such unutterable as that contained in "Emin. ent Asians" but at the request of friend who. lent it to. me, I did read the agglomeration of balderdash that appeared under that high sounding name. I read it friend asked me to write criticisms in regard to such knew fairly well after 30 years residence in the East. That friend has got those criticisms and they are no advertisement for "Upton cirevlation in the world it may be attributed to the fact that there are more gullible fools in the world] than seekers after facts. matter of local interest in rel tion to India lies in Mr. "Close's" criticisms of British railway construction in India. Certainly very dangerous ground for Mr. "Upton Close" if he does not desire to bring' down general criticism upon Ameri-i@|can Engineers' Railway Construction in China of which he evidently knows nothing or he would have kept his mouth a little more guardedly shut. In the Autumn of 1902 American Engineers commenced the construction of the very. simp! from Canton to Samshui a distance of 32° miles. This line, notwithstanding the simplicity of its construction, was not completed until the Autumn of 1904, say approximately 2 years to build 32 miles of simple railway. This is a fof American railway work. at the reverse picture. The Peking Syndicate, a British concern with British Engineers, undertook the construction of a railway presenting many engineering difficulties, includ. ing distance from base of supplies, in the province of Honan, the length of the line being 908 miles, but nevertheless construction was completed in less than three years. So much for the difference in efi-
On taking over the completed! work from the American constructors the Chinese had to pay the sum of G$6,750,000 to cover the 32 constructed miles, two futile surveys and 60 miles of earthwork on. the Canton-Hankow Railway upon which they claimed to have expend:
G$3,000,000. Can any railway engineer or other person endowed with common sense calculate how G$3,000,000 could be absorbed in 50 miles of earthwork and two futile surveys, and the building of simple line' 32 miles long. The balance G§S,750,000 was to compen. sate for possible "exploitation" losses of valuable rights.
The Peking Syndicate constructed its line in Honan of 903 miles for £7,000 per mile complete or say £638,500 roughly G42,534,000. Evidently American railway of. ciency lies in financial exploitation, Cuanues R. Macuime.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.