§ MR. REESTo ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether the figure £5,502,592, given by him as the total cost of the construction of the Uganda Railway, includes interest on the capital expended; and, if not, whether a sum of £100,000 more or less per annum daring and since construction should be added, in order to arrive at the cost per mile to the taxpayer.
(Answered by Mr. Churchill.) The sum of £5,502,592 does not include interest on the capital expended. With regard to the second part of the hon. Member's Question I would refer him to the Answer given to the hon. Member for Preston on 28th February, in which the following statement was made:—"Nothing is chargeable to the line for interest and; there is no debt accumulated for unpaid 78 interest. The funds for construction were borrowed from the Consolidated Fund, and are being repaid by annuities charged on the Vote for Colonial Services." A statement of these annuities is given on page 2 of the Parliamentary Paper, "Uganda Railway Acts, 1896 and 1902, Account for the period ended 31st March, 1906," and the total amount which will be repaid by means of them is £7,909,294 12s. 6d. "Deducting from this the amount mentioned above, the total amount which will be paid for interest is £2,406,702 12s. 6d.