THE UGANDA RAILWAY. (Hansard, 11 June 1913)

§ *LORD HINDLIP

My Lords, I rise to call the attention of His Majesty's Government to the state of congestion on the Uganda railway, and to move for Papers. In doing so it will not be necessary for me to enter into the past history of the railway, as it will be within the recollection of most of your Lordships that the line was originally constructed for political purposes and more or less to suppress the slave trade. Since those days, however, the whole aspect both of East Africa and of Uganda has changed, and a considerable amount of development has gone on in both countries. The Uganda railway is now a great artery of the Empire and has become a considerable commercial asset; and I should like it to be clearly understood that in any remarks I make this evening I wish to direct no criticism whatever to the authorities who work the railway.

Let me deal first of all with the two ports of Kilindini and Mombasa, where there is a serious state of congestion. In the year ended June 30, 1912, 686 steamers, representing a tonnage of 1,500,000, entered the ports; this was an increase of 75 steamers and 206,000 tons—an increase in the volume of trade in five years of 75 per cent. This increase is going on steadily. The German East- 592 Africa Line are now running boats of 8,000 tons; the Union Castle Line are putting on boats of 10,000 tons; while the Messageries Maritimes are accelerating their service, and their example is being followed by all the other lines which trade with the East African ports. I may also say that a great many of the ships leaving London do so with full cargoes, and many shipments are left behind because of lack of accommodation. We hear many stories of plans for the improvement of the ports to which I am referring, and Mr. Alfred Lyttelton, who early in the year spent a week-end in the Colony, wrote several articles to The Times in which he mentioned a sum of £600,000 which was going to be spent; but, as far as I can make out, nothing has been done. And in the Report for the year ended June last of the East Africa Protectorate I find, on page 16— Work has not yet been begun on the deep water pier at Kilindini, it having been deemed necessary to submit the matter for report by the consulting engineers. The present wharf and general facilities for handling cargo, including lighterage accommodation, have proved inadequate, and with the sudden rush of trade great congestion of traffic has resulted. Remedial measures are, however, now being adopted. The port of Kilindini is in the meantime being used to its fullest capacity, especially for export purposes. Its increasing popularity has prevented an absolute block at the port of Mombasa, but there also the congestion is serious. A growing import and export trade through native development is assured, and if in addition a large import and export trade is built up by white settlement, extensive improvements even on a larger scale than is now contemplated would appear to be amply justified at Kilindini. I also find it stated later down on the same page of the Report that— Improved means of communication, by which districts hitherto practically inaccessible are being opened up, must result in a still further increased volume of exports and imports. Now let me turn to the railway itself. I find that for the same year ended June, 1912, the total tonnage hauled rose from 77,000 to 115,000 tons; and the number of passengers carried rose front 403,000 to 442,000. The tonnage carried by the steamers on the Victoria-Nyanza rose from 33,000 to 43,000 tons. According to the latest official information I have been able to get, the receipts on the railway up to the end of last March showed an increase of 1,500,000 rupees, I suppose gross, which is roughly £100,000. The Report for last year, from which I have already quoted, referring to the railway, says— The lighter wharfs and new sheds at Kilindini proved useful within limitations, but the accom- 593 modation and the facilities for handling merchandise are at present totally inadequate to meet the rapidly increasing traffic of the port. Then at the end the Report speaks rather mole hopefully, for it says— Speaking generally, the year's progress from a railway point of view has been very considerable, and the preparations made to meet still greater development in the immediate future will largely conduce to the prosperity of the country, to which an efficient railway service is absolutely necessary. The provision of funds lately made under the grant has removed any anxiety, and the future may be contemplated with confidence, as we can now guarantee that all reasonable requirements in the way of rolling stock, locomotives, and steamers will be met. I am not quite sure that that cheery optimism is exactly justified. I am told that of the new engines which have been ordered there are some twenty of a large type capable of hauling considerable loads, but they are too heavy for the bridges between Nairobi and the lake and can only be run between Nairobi and the coast. I do not know whether that is true or not. Another statement in the railway report is that— The export of cotton and cotton seed from Uganda was beyond expectations, and it is predicted that even larger quantities will be exported luring 1913–14 if adequate provision is made in the way of roads, piers, and sheds, the demand for which is strongly emphasised. I find another rather disturbing statement as regards the future in a speech made the other day by Mr. Laurence R. Philipps, the chairman of the British East Africa Corporation, who said, addressing the June meeting of the shareholders— Owing to congestion on the steamers and railways in Uganda and British East Africa, it had been impossible to move much of their produce up and down the line. The corporation had had cotton and other produce, which the Government had accepted for shipment across the lake and to the coast, lying at the wharf for three, four, and live months. There was an absolute lack of the necessary facilities for transport. Whenever the question was raised the Government replied that it was not possible to obtain money for providing the requisite locomotives and wagons. Mr. Philipps does not seem quite so confident of the future as does Mr. Lyttelton, and I do not think that either Mr. Philipps or the company of which he is chairman can be counted among the hostile critics of the Government, for it may be remembered at the Colonial Office that this company was at its inception a kind of adopted child of the Government of that day.

These difficulties and this congestion have occurred with existing traffic. I 594 would like to know, not what the Government are going to do to meet the traffic non the main line now, but what they are going to do to cope with the traffic which will ensue from the feeders which they are now providing. The Government have on the stocks, I believe, two new steamers for the Victoria-Nyanza. They have built the Jinja-Kakindu railway in Uganda to bring traffic from Lake Kioga, where there are two steamers, some fifty lighters, and where, like Oliver Twist, people are asking for more; while the Government Report itself says that additional rolling-stock is already required. Then there is a railway being built front Port Bell to Kampala and front Nairobi to Fort Hall. Trade is increasing everywhere; and last, but certainly not least, a cable was received in this country the other day saying that the railway from the main line to Magadi was being completed. This railway alone is to bring some 160,000 tons to the Uganda railway, which is hopelessly congested with 115,000 tons!A tonnage of 115,000 may not sound an enormous figure, but the old small engines, which used to be the only ones on the railway and as far as I understand are still the only ones at one section, can only haul a train-load of 100 tons.

There is another thing I would like to point out to His Majesty's Government. In your leases of land to settlers and planters both in East Africa and in Uganda restrictions are made and a condition is that a certain amount of the land has to be brought into cultivation. That is a restriction of which I do not complain at all; I only wish it had been adopted earlier. But I rather question whether the Government are justified in making these restrictions and conditions until they are in a position to carry the produce of the planter or settler to the market at a reasonable rate and at a reasonable speed.

The noble Lord who will reply to me will probably say that neither the Treasury nor the taxpayer will provide sufficient money to develop the line as it ought to be developed; so the railway must be starved, and the taxpayer does not get a proper return on the £5,000,000 or £6,000,000 already invested in the railway. I would like to point out two ways in which the money required—a considerable sum, probably £2,000,000 or £3,000,000—could be raised. The Government could raise the money by a loan on the railway 595 which might be guaranteed for ten years; or they might conversely follow the methods which have been carried out with great success by the Mexican Government, and in this case sell the railway to a company, retaining 51 per cent. of the Common Stock, which would give them control of the policy of the company. It is perfectly certain that until this congestion is removed by improving the port and the railway and reducing the rates the line will not be economically worked, the taxpayer will not get a proper return, and the country will not be properly developed. I beg to move.

§ *LORD EMMOTT

My Lords, the noble Lord opposite has introduced a question of very great importance and one which is of considerable interest to many members of your Lordships' House, and he has done so in a speech of which I make no complaint, although I think he has been unduly pessimistic about the actual situation, and has incidentally exaggerated some of the extra demands which we shall have to meet shortly. For instance, the Magadi railway will probably not be opened until July, 1914, and for the first year it is practically certain that there will not be exported more than 80,000 tons. Therefore that new demand, which will soon be a very important demand, I believe, upon our resources, will not actually come into being for another year or two.

I admit the fact that there has been congestion. It is not denied in any way, and it is perfectly natural that those who are interested in East Africa, as the noble Lord has been for many years, should feel some anxiety as to the situation. I therefore hail the opportunity of being able to give the House some particulars in regard to it.

I may point out, in confirmation of what the noble Lord said, not only how enormously the demand on our resources has increased during the last few years, but what a great part of that increase is actually within the last two years. The tonnage up and down the railway for the year 1906–7 was 52,784 tons; in 1910–11 it was 77,280 tons—an increase for the four years of about 50 per cent., or at a rate of geometrical increase of 10 per cent. per 596 annum. From 77,280 tons in 1910–11 the tonnage went up to 115,768 in 1911–12—an increase of almost 50 per cent. in one year after it had been increasing at the rate of 10 per cent. The noble Lord is quite correct in saying that the receipts in money are £100,000 up for the year 1912–13; that shows an increase of 33 per cent. for the last twelve months, and an increase of 33 per cent. in money means, I think, an increase of more than 33 per cent. in tonnage.

This is not the only Colony where we are faced with a sudden increased demand. The same situation has arisen in Nigeria, and it is especially marked in the demand for tropical products. It is our duty to relieve this congestion, but I really cannot feel gloomy about the cause even if I tried. The real reason of the anxiety is a satisfactory one—namely, the sudden expansion of the demand for the products of these Colonies, which in turn leads to a demand for imported goods to pay for them and a further demand for material in order to take in hand further extension and development. It does seem to me a matter for legitimate satisfaction and pride that this development is proceeding so rapidly in countries where only very recently over-seas trade was practically unknown.

I turn to the steps which we have taken to meet the demand referred to by the noble Lord. First of all in regard to railway material, at the end of 1911–12 we had 67 locomotives which had 800,000 lbs. of tractive power, and our wagon stock represented 9,600 tons. In the first nine months of 1912–13 five locomotives were sent out with tractive power of 89,000 lbs., and 99 wagons with a capacity of 2,170 tons. During the last three months of the year 1912–13 we sent out six Mallet locomotives with tractive power of 144,000 lbs. There are now on order ten more Mallet locomotives with tractive power of 240,000 lbs., and 280 wagons with a capacity of 5,500 tons; and also five new tank engines have been ordered to replace the five old ones which are being transferred to the Port Bell-Kampala railway. Steps are now beina taken to order ten more engines of the tank type, which can be used if it is found impracticable to use Mallet engines beyond Nairobi. We have been a good deal hampered by the delay in the delivery of railway material. The demand throughout the world has been 597 enormous, and it seems as if none of the contractors have been able to keep to their promises; and that, of course, has added somewhat to our difficulties in regard to the matter. But for immediate purposes, for the demands that we see before us at the moment, our experts advise us that we have ordered sufficient engines and trucks. That being the case, I am sure your Lordships will agree that the present time, when prices for these materials are so extraordinarily high, is not a time when we ought to order in advance of our requirements.

A point of no less importance in regard to the extra carrying power of this railway is that money has been found for eighteen new crossing stations, and when they have all been made there will be crossing stations at distances of nine miles. Four of these new crossing stations have been already completed, and when the whole number of eighteen are ready they will add enormously to the carrying capacity of this railway. The figures which the noble Lord mentioned of the effect of the changes that may be expected in the future represent a total of tonnage far below what can be carried by a single line provided there are adequate and sufficient crossing stations.

I would next refer to the congestion at the terminus of the railway at Kilindini. To meet urgent immediate wants quick working cranes are being erected, and electric light is being provided for all-night working whenever it is necessary for loading and unloading steamers. That, again, will considerably add to what we can do in the port. As regards the provision of deep-water berths, Mr. Wilson, of the firm of Coode Matthews, the well known harbour experts, has been asked to examine the conditions on the spot on our behalf, and he is preparing a report which we expect will be in our hands within the next few weeks; and I can assure the noble Lord that the report as soon as it reaches us will receive our careful attention. As to the lake, one 598 cargo steamer is in process of construction; the plates are on, and it should be launched before the end of the year. The material for a second steamer should be arriving at the port about this time. Also a tug has been provided for Kavirondo Gulf and neighbourhood, and a railway is in process of construction from Port Bell to Kampala which will assist the traffic in cotton and other materials.

It will be seen, I think, that we have taken energetic steps to meet immediate requirements and to provide for the expansion of the year that lies before us. At the same time everything points to further, and probably more rapid, development in the country. I do not think that we can, or that we ought to, rest content with what we have arranged to do up to the present time. It is our duty to look ahead, first of all of course for the sake of the Protectorate, but secondly also because the increase in the trade of this Protectorate will be of benefit to this country and to the whole Empire. I can assure the House that the whole position is fully realised by the Secretary of State, and that he is giving the question his most earnest consideration.