§ MR. GINNELLI beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies 2123 whether the construction of the Uganda Railway departmentally has cost, in both time and money, 100 per cent. more than it would have cost if constructed by contract, and the construction depart-mentally of the railway through the Sultanate of Johore, which was opened for traffic on the 12th instant, has cost, in both time and money, some 40 per cent. more than it would have cost if constructed by contract; whether he will state in respect of each of these works the original estimate of cost and time, the sum for which and the time in which it could have been done by contract, and the actual cost, in money and in time, under departmental management; whether the cost of the Kowloon Railway at Hong Kong, though only partially executed already exceeds the original estimate for completion of the entire work; whether he will state what the original estimate was, the cost to the present date, and the present estimate for the entire work; whether, in view of the waste under departmental management of which these are examples, it is proposed to continue that system in similar works in future; and, if so, for what reasons.
§ COLONEL SEELYThe question how-much the Uganda Railway would have cost if it had been constructed by contract is one which naturally does not admit of a categorical answer, but the figures as to the cost of other railways in Africa given on pages 30–31 of Cd. 2164 show that its cost compares favourably with that of other railways in Africa, especially if allowance be made for the very great difficulties of the country. As regards the Johore Railway, which has been built by the Government of the Federated Malay States for the Government of Johore under a Convention with the Sultan, the estimate was £1,200,000. I have no information as to the actual cost of the other particulars asked for. No comparison can be made between the original estimate of the Kowloon Railway, which was necessarily to a large extent conjectural, and the present estimate, which is approximately $10,000,000, seeing that the increase is largely due to a review of the policy as to terminal accommodation as well as to the unexpected difficulties met with in the 2124 course of construction. The Secretary of State is unable to admit that these railways are examples of waste under departmental management or to commit himself as to the policy which may be adopted in the case of future railway works.
§ MR. GINNELLIs it not the fact that the work executed by the Crown Agents costs more in time and money than it would if it were put out to public tender?
§ COLONEL SEELYGenerally speaking, I do not think that is so. I have gone carefully into the matter.
§ * MR. REESWas not this question of construction by Crown Agents recently investigated by the Committee of which the hon. and gallant Gentleman was President?
§ COLONEL SEELYYes, Sir, and that Committee, over which I presided, has enabled me to give a fuller reply to this Question than I might otherwise have done.