From Head-Loading to the Iron Horse: Railway Building in Colonial Ghana and the Origins of Tropical Development

Chapter 3 - The Eastern Line and the Development of Lighterage Ports, 1904-1918

33 Chapter 3 The Eastern Line and the Development of Lighterage Ports, î1918 Sir John Rodger and the Rearticulation of the Tropical Malayan Paradigm In 1898, when Messrs Coode, Son and Mathews published their report on Gold Coast harbours, the colonial administration was particularly drawn to the section dealing with the railway line from Accra to Volta River commercial town of Kpong. This line, it was argued, would tap the oil palmproducing areas of Krobo and Eastern Akwapim, as well as stimulating cotton cultivation in the semi-arid Volta districts. Additionally, it would facilitate the movement of government stores via the Volta to the Northern Territories and would bring the Government Sanatorium and Botanical Station at Aburi within easy access of Accra so that ‘Europeans will be able to reside in this delightful spot, coming daily to their offices in Accra’.91 Given these commercial and administrative advantages, Governor Nathan obtained the Secretary of State’s approval in 1902 and construction was expected to start as soon as the western line had been completed to Kumasi.92 By that date, however, there had been a shift in government attitude to the propoVHG$FFUDîKpong line. The previous year, Nathan had retired. His successor was Sir John Rodger, and with his appointment the Malayan transportation paradigm was forcefully rearticulated. Rodger, like Maxwell, had served for several years in the Malay Settlements. Not surprisingly, he was in favour of building short latitudinal lines from the coast into the interior as well as improving the waterways for heavy shipping: When dealing with the general question of transport in this Colony, we should, in my opinion consider the sea the main line of communication and endeavour to connect our coast towns with the various planting and mining districts at as many points as possible by means of rivers, roads and railways.93 The new Governor called for WKH$FFUDîKpong proposal to be dropped since the Volta river route, though ineffective, would still serve the eastern 34 borders of the country. He suggested that the line should be re-routed from Accra to Mangoase, which he had identified as ‘the centre of the cocoa industry’. In addition to tapping into new country, such as the Eastern Akim Goldfields, which had hitherto proved unworkable for want of transport, this scheme would also avoid competition with the Volta. Like the original $FFUDîKpong proposal in 1898, social and administrative convenience continued to inform WKHVHOHFWLRQRIWKH$FFUDîMangoase route. The Accra Chamber of Commerce envisaged a possible extension through Begoro to the Presbyterian Mission Station in the cooler mountainous region of Abetifi in order to provide a holiday resort for Europeans.94 A similar sentiment was expressed at the Government Secretariat. One official argued: If this railway is to be made, there is no use in stopping at Mangoase, it should go not to Korforidua, but to the bend of the Densu [river], where the Kentenke falls . . . there is a beautiful site here for European township, and I think it would be found that the power obtainable from this falls might be put to great use in connection with the railways.95 Given that a railway line from Accra to Mangoase could serve both the administrative and social needs of the expatriate community as effectively as a line from Accra to Kpong and the emergent cocoa producing districts and the gold mines of Akyem, it was not surprising that Rodger’s revival of the Malayan railway development paradigm won the unanimous approval of the railway interests. The Construction of the AccraîMangoase Line Unlike the Western line, which utilised a departmental system of construction, for the Accra-Mangoase line, construction of the 40-mile stretch was open to tender. There was disquiet over the high costs, as well as constructional deficiencies in the ‘pioneer’ western line, associated with allegations of financial malpractice against the resident engineer and problems of administrative control under the departmental system. Members of the West African commercial lobby therefore began to argue for the adoption of the conventional contract method for future railway development. When the Loans Ordinance was introduced in the legislative council and the unofficial members unanimously voted against the departmental system 35 at the second reading stage, both the Colonial Office and the local administration agreed to give the contract system a trial. Following this, in August 1907, the Colonial Office authorised the Crown agents to...