The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-29 00:00:00

Railway and other Companies.

MADRAS IRRIGATION AND CANAL.
The half-yearly general meeting of this company
was held at the offices, Queen-street-place, South-
wark-bridge ; Mr. J. Thomson in the chair.
Mr. J. Westwood, the secretary, having read the
notice convening the meeting, the report, an abstract
of which has appeared in The Sun, .was taken as
read.

The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report, said they could not say so much of the pro-
gress made in the past half-year as they could of
preliminary arrangements for entering upon the
requisite operations with vigour. Perhaps the most
unfortunate result of the delay in conferring with
the Government was the breaking up of their staff
in India when engaged upon works only half com-
pleted. When they considered that those men had
experience of the climate, were acquainted with the
habits and language of the people, and had control
over them the loss from delay could scarcely be
overestimated. The engineers for the new staff had
been selected with great care. There were 21 en-
gineers in all, forniing a sufficient staff to carry on
the works efficiently. There had been some delay

rom sickness, and three of them were now on sick

leave. Extensive operations were commenced in
April last, but a new source of delay was interposed ;
the Government wanted u careful measurement of
all the works executed by the company, and the
quantities of each in detail, which would involve
considerable difficulty. The works varied from mile
to mile, and they had explained the impolicy of fur-
ther delay. They had promoted Mr. Leeson, who
.vas well acquainted with the works, to the office of
chief engineer, and, as the success of their operations
depended on the able supervision of the works, they
could not have intrusted them to better hands.
Ile had been in their employment since 1859, and
had carried on the works intrusted to him with
a due regard to time and cost. They hoped to
have some relaxation from the minute system of
Government control which had so long impeded
their progress. They did not object to Govern-
ment control, and if anything was going on wrong
nothing would afford the directors more pleasure
than to be set right ; but the kind of control which
had heretofore been exercised was not for good but
for evil, and instead of causing delays of months, it
caused delays of years. This had, at least, added
20 per cent. to the cost of management. There were
unavoidable delays to contend with from the sick-
css of natives employed, as well as of the com-
pany's staff, and at times great mortality. They
had found out the weak point of the anicut at Soon-
kasalai which rested on a rubble foundation, but
that had been removed, and it now rested on the
solid rock, and he hoped they would hear no more
of breaches in it. The constructive operations were
on eight sections, extending over 141 miles ; they
would shortly bo on the ninth section, and also on
the tenth section, which included the large works to
Cuddapah, in all 180 miles, and he hoped that suffi-
cient labour would be obtained. They had made
surveys in the Bellary and Nellore distrio's, and also
plans and esthnates of the works. The miserable
condition of the Bl.llary district required something
to be done as soon as possible to save it from deso-
lation. Lord Cranborne had called the attention of
the local Government to the matter, and Captain
Muffins, their consulting engineer, had gone over
the whole distance, mile by mile, and highly ap-
proved the plans of the company's engineer. Re-
servoirs would have to be made, and the cst of the
canal and other works in the upper section, 67 miles
in length, would be £1,500,000. It was estimated
that, at eight rupees per acre, the irrigation would
yield a return of 22i per cent, on the outlay, but at
ten rupees per acre it would give 26 per oot, If