The sun., 1908-06-03
Great Railroad Projects In China.

The Imperial Ministry Of China has
just published it's programme Of railroad
construction and announces that the
Government intends as soon 40 possible
to carry out the entire scheme, planned
to cover the whole empire.
Probably 80 vast programme for the
improvement Of communications In b
single State was never before embraced
in one document. There is little proba-
bility that the plans can be realized
for many years, especially If the Chinese
adhere to their present policy of building
their railroads themselves with their
own capital. But the vast plans now
outlined are very significant, for they
show that missionary effort to convince
that people Of the value of railroads Is
no longer necessary. The empire il
now willing to impose every possible
effort upon its subjects to secure the
superior transportation facilities enjoyed
by the western nations.
A French translation Of the Govern
ment edict has been published in Pc!i-
tique Indo-C -Chinoise, from which the fol-
lowing facts are taken:
Pekn is to be the centre of the four
great trunk lines extending, roughly, in
the DIRECTION Of the cardinal points.
From these trunk lines are to extend
many branches, number of which are
longer than one or two Of the main
routes; and the programme is completed
by indicating the starting points of a
large number of subsidiary lines that
are to be feeders for the branch and
trunk roads, the whole system covering
the empire with network Of rails.
1t Is impossible az yet to make satis-
factory estimate Of the total length Of
the system as planned. In the case Of q
large number of the subsidiary lines it
is stated simply that they will start from
this or that point and extend into one or
another province. The approximate dis
tances along the four main roads are
given here by measuring the straight
lines between the leading places at which
they will touch; but such figures, of
course, are considerably under the actual
rail mileage. Many thousands Of miles
of railroads are included in the scheme.
The four main lines are these:
/. The southern line from Pelin to
Canton, now in operation from Pekin to
Hankow and in course of construction
south Of the Yangtse River toward Cam
ton. Length, about 200 miles.
2. The northern line, now completed
to Kalgan, near the edge Of the Mongo-
liam plains $50 miles from Pekin and TO
be extended across Mongolia to Urga, the
recent home of the Dalai Lama Of Tibet,
and on to Kiachta on the Siberian from
tier. Length, about 900 miles. 1t will
practically follow the camel tea route
from Pekin to the Siberian railroad.
8. The eastern line will utilize the road
now in operation from Pekin to Tientsing,
Shanhaikwan and Slnminting with a
branch to Mukden), north to Tsitsikar on
the Siberian railroad and then to Aisun
on the Amur River at the Siberian from
tier. Length, more than 1000 miles.
1. The western line win start from
Pingyang on the Pekin-H ankow road,
touch Taiyuan, the capital Of Shansi,
then Si-ngan, the capital Of Shsnsi,
then on TO Lan-tschow, on the upper
Hoang River, pass into Tibet 10 the
north Of tho famous Lake Kukunor and
crcas Chinese Turkestan 10 iii or Kuldjas
about 2,ooo miles from pekin.
It 10 noteworthy that these trunk flpes