The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 1912. PERSIA TO INDIA.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 36, 25 January 1912, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 1912. PERSIA TO INDIA.

~ Of‘;i . ■ HyU ' Y 2 ■ 'OO mine time qgp . the British iGov,e,ni-; Wont notified tlie International Comriitteir which is promoting the 'transmntinental railway through Persia to India, that it was prepared to join ■vith the Russian Government in subuitting the proposal to the Persian. Government,, provided that the Lilian Government was satisfied as to dio route and conditions for the line. Tins notification was made'shortly _,b,c----1 ore the present . Persian crisis, .with ‘Finch it has no connection.. .oThiOi IriA liaii Government has now'duly formuated its cbhditionsf- whiblr have' beeh : agreed to by the Pritish GovCriiment, md they have been, communicated to ho Russian Government as those on vhich tlie Britisli Government ig ready :o assent iii principle to tho project -nd to agree to the initiation of negoiations between its promoters in this ouutry and in Russia. The Indian iovornment lias formulated some six conditions. The most important is hat the route of the railway shall allow tho coast from Karachi to Bun,er Abbas. At the same time the ndian Government does not preclude ;ho alternative scheme of tho railway caving the coast at Chahbar and hence, going direct north-west to vcrman, which is in the British ■phere. It will therefore bo necessary to make two surveys, one along lie coast from Chahbar to Bunden Vbbas and from Bunder Abbas up to iorman, and tho other from Chahbar direct to Kerman. The Indian Gojornmont also stipulates for the ultinate construction of five feeder lines, J which the most important is .what s' known as tlie Kanin Valley lino mm Mohammorah to Khorrcmabad. ’’inally there is also a reference as to urthor railway construction. A corespondent of tho “Guardian” states hat the main conditions of the In:iah Government that the line should kirt the coast to Bunder Abbas is ot universally approved, and there oems to bo considerable, doubt whchor it will be insisted on. Bunder Vbbas is in the neutral, not in the British zone, while it would add con■iderably to the length and cost of tho ourney if Kerman, which is one of the hief trade centres and is in the Britsb zone, was approached by such a ircuitous route. Tho crux of any uch transcontinental line will lie the lecision as to where the break of gauge s to occur. It is suggested that to )o of any use to British trade it diould not lie further south than spaban, and that if it were to bo A Bunder Abbas it would bo altogeher disadvantageous both for Britin and for India. Arrangements or tho survey will at once be taken u hand. The proposed line is wholly jurveyed to Teheran, and a sort of sur- . r oy ombracing levels was made some ten years ago as far as Chahbar. Pro>ably all the figures require revision in view of the lapse.of time since the “stimates wore made. It is held that the sum of £IO,OOO should amply suflico to complete what is necessary to enable a project to be drawn which will satisfy the British Government’s requirements. There is, it is stilted, no prospect of the British or Indian Government entering into a financial guarantee of the railway. The figures on which the promoters base their scheme are as follows:—Russian sec- 1

lion: Baku to Astara, US miles. Persian section: Astara to Gwattar, 1392 miles. British (Baluchistan) section: Gwattar to Karachi, 373 miles, making a total of 1883 miles.