66 [ No. 99 ECONOMIC CONDITIONS frontier. In 1911 this line was said to possess 93 locomotives, 37 passenger coaches, and 589 freight trucks. Hitherto it has been hampered by excessive freight charges. The passenger rates in 1912 were 50 centimes (42d . ) per kilometre first -class and 7 cen times (id. ) second-class.

( e) The Alberta Railway, a private line, 12 kilo metres (7.5 miles ) in length, built by Messrs. Lever for the purpose of connecting their oil-palm concessions with the Congo at Ebonda, a few miles west of Bumba.

The following lines have been projected ( see also below , pp. 104-6) : (a) The Benguela Railway, 1,330 miles in length , to connect Lobito Bay in Angola with the Sakania Bukama line near Kambove . About one -third of this line is completed from the coast. When finished it will afford a route from Katanga to the sea shorter than any at present existing. Lobito Bay is an excellent harbour.

(6) The Kiambi Railway, from Ankoro on the Lualaba at its confluence with the Luvua river, via Kiambi to Pweto at the north end of Lake Mweru and thence to Moliro on Tanganyika.

(c) The Kongolo - Kabalo Railway. This line, only 56 miles in length, would link up the Kindu -Kongolo and Kabalo - Albertville sections of the Great LakesRai way , obviate two trans-shipments, and span a section of the river not easily navigated in the dry season.

1 Compare Kambove to Beira , 1,740 miles, Kambove to Matadi , by the Great Lakes Railway, 2,200 miles, by the projected Lusambo route, 1,600 miles, Kambove to Dar es Salaam , via Albertville and the Tabora line (with fourtrans -shipments ), 1,600 miles. It should be noted , however, that the projected railway from Salisbury, Rhodesia , to Kafue would materially shorten the Kambove - Beira route. The Lobito Bay route would , however, have the advantage of a shorter sea voyage for European trade.