The sun., 1905-09-17
BUILDING RAILWAY IN CHINA.
SOME or THE DIFFICULTIES TO
Re OVERCOME.
How a syndicate Bought Up Land Along
Proposed Route and Held II Against
the Railroad Com mpany-TrOuble Over
Removal or Graves orner on Labor.

How a syndicate Bought Up Land Along
Proposed Route and Held II Against
the Railroad Company y-TrOubie Over
Removal OF Graves Corner on Labor.
Construction work on the railway from
Shanghai to Marking il actively proceed
ing, and it is hoped that the opening Of the
first section may take place before the close
Of the year, says the Shanghai correspond
ent OF the London Times.
The final contract for the Shanghai
Nanking line was signed after protracted
negotiations by Sheng Ia -jen and the
concessionaires Ghe British and Chinese
corporation) in July, 1908. Between that
date and the actual beginning Of earth
works further pourparlers were necessi-
tated on points of detail, financial and ad-
ministrative, in regard to which Sheng
Ta-jen's attitude was persistently obstruct-
i've: Eventually, at the instance OF the
conveyed to the Director-General from
the Wai-wu-pu that further obstruction
would entail unpleasant results, and since
then matters have advanced more salts
factorily. Nevertheless progress has been
slow, and the recent experiences. of the
corporation shed instructive light on the
methods of the mandarin class, that
corrupt bureaucracy which blocks all
reform in China.
The line to Nanking via the provincial
miles long, running through fiat country
intersected by many creeks and covered
star as Chinkiang with innumerable graves;
thence to Nanking on the slope Of the hills
which lie parallel and close to the Yang
tse. By the terms OF the contract Sheng
Tai -jen receives $3.50 600, in return for which
he is bound to acquire all necessary land and
to obtain the removal Of graves within
the limits required by the railway. At the
beginning Of March, eighteen months after
the arrival Of the engineering staff; only
thirty-eight miles of the total length had
been acquired, and this in isolated Sec
tons; but since then matters have advanced
more rapidly.
The construction OF the first earthworks
began in October, and now proceeds as the
land is handed over; it is therefore evident
that future progress will depend chiefly
He promised to give the company full pos
session Of all the land as far as Soochow
before April and thence to Wusieh before
June but hitherto continuous pressure has
this officials promises. In the meanwhile
it is interesting to observe that. 40 soon
as the survey of any section is completed
and the line definitely located, Chinese
syndicate--of which sheng Ta-jen's son is
aseeseS as sep'ea posse o the shs
owners and holds it against the railway
company. claiming. large advance on the
market value. CThe price paid for agri-
cultural land. eompulsorily acquired, varies
between f20 and e4o per acre. These
operations primarily concern the Chinese
Government but, as they delay construction
work and thus increase the ultimate cost
OF the railway. they concern also the con-
cessionaires. to whom Sheng frequently
appeals for more funds to meet unexpected
contingencies.
At the Shanghai terminus. in particula
the necessary land has been 80 effectively
"cornered," and is held at suoh high prices
that the position of the station may yet
have to be altered. and in any case cannot
be completed before the opening to 500.
the matter is thrown into relief when we re-
member that this is a Chinese Government
railway and that ShAng and the Chinese
commissioners on the board OF construc-
tion are ostensibly carrying out the work
with economy and despatch.
Another source of difficulty lies in the re-
moval Of graves. This is question which
presents Itself everywhere In China but
In the country between Shanghai and
Wusieh it is unusually prominent, because
soribed as a continuous graveyard. Tombs
Of great size. are scattered haphaEard
throughout the highly cultivated, fields.
Many have been removed dOr1nR the past
year, but even on the land already handed
over an enormuos number remain, and for
these gaps have to be left in the embank-
ments.
For each graves removal compensation
has to be paid at rates varying between
lOs and ei; and as this business is also trans
acted by Sheng's staff, it presents con-
tinual cause OF friction and delay. So
called benevolent societies have been
formed at various centers and collect SUBJ
scriptions with the ostensibly pious object
OF removing the remains Of the numerous
departed Chinese who left no descendants
to practise for them the rites of filial piety
The Tapping rebellion left many such cases
in its track.
These societies employ coolies to collect
the bones, which are then reverently PLACED
in a Devoe's kerosene packing case or other
equally mex pensive receptacle and there
after Deposited On the nearest pisos of
waste land, the societys work being con-
fined to claiming and getting the COM
pensatio per set of bones collected. The
sma lest remains will suffice to justify a
claim. and unidentified ancestors are there
fore in demand all along the line. 1t is
reported, though difficult to prove, that
the Chinese members of the board Of COM