A_ brief announcement has _appeared in the "North-China Herald" fo the effect that the Ministry of Railways had notified all lines concerned to complete their prepa Hons for the inauguration of 3 Shanghai-Canton line on October 10, the distance between the two cities to be consumed in 48 hours. It is, however, possible to-day to do the Journey from Shanghai to 'Kowloon fu exactly 7 hours' travelling time, by railway all the way with the ex: ception of 280 kilometres which is covered by bus, Interviewed by the "North-China Herald" on April 13, Mr. Fritz W. Huck, schoolmaster of the Kaiser Wilhelm Schule, who has just returned from one such a trip, said that the journey was far superior to the sea trip. Mr. Huck, who has been {in China for nearly ten years, should know what he is talking about, for travelling through China by train is his hobby, and he has now visited every province in the country by railway. "I have to do something during "the three month's summer. holiday," he said, smilingly, "and s0, T take a train rider"
Jcommodation and trebled for first class. There had been a great deal of talk, he said, about the accidents the line and rumours. were that was unsafe; he refuted the latter, and said that he never felt anything but perfectly safe along the whole route. [The coaches were recently ordered from England and were very comfortable and well fitted out; service Jon board the train was good, and everyone was the essence of polite-hess. "At Canton he changed trains for the last time, the Journey to Kowloon taking just under three And would you make the trip again, in preference to any other route?" he was asked. "Oh, yes, definitely," he replied, "it is much more interesting and just as comfortable. The route passes through some fof the most, beautiful scenery China." He pulled out a large onveloped ful of photographs taken from the "moving train along the route, and chose some representative oxan ples, such as scenes along the Siang-fan River, on the Hunan/Kwangtung border, and along part of the North River. south of the border, to illus For anyone with an urge for travel, itis inexpensive, "too, "as he soon Jdemonstrated. For the trip. from [Shanghai to Kowloon, he spent exactly $43.80 for fare and accommodation; this, of course, does not cover Jextras such as films for his camera, but then "these "would "apply practically any other method of making the same journey. Hangchow reached in four and a half hours, jand Nanchang in just over another 22; the journey between Hangchow Jana Nanchang, which line was opened at the beginning of 1996, is. very Popular, he said, "and he nearly missed getting a second class sleeper for the over-night journey.
At Nanchang, he walked straight! out of the station to get on board a bus for the 280-kilometre journey to Pinghsiang: the bed for the railway, Haid, but no rails have been placed sal already been properly. Jon it as yet. "Eight hours later, the bus stopped at Pinghsiang, where he boarded a Third Class" coal train which, for the princely sum of 80 Jcents," took him 82 kilometres to IChuchow, which is rapidly becoming an important station on the Hankow=
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.