§ Mr. GINNELLasked the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he had seen the original report and estimate in which Mr. Slessor specially and repeatedly stipulated for rails, rolling-stock, and works, and the general calibre 4 and capacity of the Johore Railway, to be the same precisely as those of the railways of the Federated Malay States in connection with which it was to be worked, basing his estimate upon the specification of Sir Charles Hutton Gregory, consulting engineer to the Straits Government, and of Mr. Watkins, resident engineer of the Selangor Railways, the whole to cost £608,000; whether the offer of British contractors, acceptable to and desired by the Sultan, to construct and equip the line efficiently in that style for that sum was rejected at the instance of the Crown Agents; whether its less efficient construction by the Crown Agents had cost £1,400,000, to be paid, with interest, by the Johore people; and whether he would give his authority for the official statement that the Slessor estimate was for an inferior line?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Colonel Seely)I have not myself seen Mr. Slessor's report and estimate, but they have been seen by the Consulting Engineers from whom my information is derived. As I informed the hon. Gentleman on 20th July the Crown Agents were not concerned in the matter at all, and I am unable at present to state the total cost of the line.
§ Mr. GINNELLasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will state by whom and on whose recommendation consulting engineers for Colonial and Protectorate works are appointed; by whom and at what rate are they paid; whether they are themselves responsible to anyone for the subsequent cost of works recommended by them; whether he will lay upon the Table the correspondence whereby the Government of Johore was compelled to cancel its contract with a British firm for the construction and equipment of the Johore Railway and submit to its construction departmentally, under the control of the Crown Agents, at more than twice the amount of the contract; whether he is aware of the threat used to enforce cancellation, that if the contract was persisted in the amount of it would be made irrecoverable; if he will say what money passed in consideration of the cancellation, and whether this sum also has been added to the burden imposed upon Johore by the Crown Agents for their own benefit; whether the Colonial Office had any other object in supporting the Crown Agents in this transaction than that of imposing upon Johore a debt she 5 could scarcely repay, as a preliminary to annexation; and whether the Colonial Office recognised the promotion of this purpose, and the acceptance of fees from two rival parties to the same transaction, as within the legitimate work of a consulting engineer?
§ Colonel SEELYThis question makes imputations of improper conduct, for which there is not a shadow of foundation, against honourable men, who feel deeply the slur publicly cast upon them. Beyond making this statement I, therefore, decline to make any reply.