Report of the Sleeper Enquiry Committee. 1923-24

The Railways with a few exceptions have grouped theselves into territorial divisions each of which has a single agent the Chief Engineer of one of the railways in the territory for the purchase of sleepers within its boundaries : the collection of groups is called the Pool. [...] The Forest Officers of the principal Indian States and other private owners should be invited to the meeting or pemitted to attend if they desire to do so and the proceedings of the discusion should be reported to the Local Governments concerned and the Railway Board by the Chief Engineer and Chief Forest Officers of the group. [...] The Forest Officers should be able to say at the meeting how much timber suitable for sleepers they can turn out what the public demand for such timber is likely to be and the price they expect to realize from the public in the light of the past few years the quantity they can supply to the railways and the price they expect for it : the price at which the sleepers are offered and the price the r [...] The matter so far as it concerns the Forests and Railways of the Indian Government appears to be a. question of policy and we now recommend that the discussion between the Forest and Railway Departments of the Government of India should be an official fixture ; that the proceedings should be reported soon after the meeting to the Provincial Governments and the Railway Board so that in the eve [...] It frequently happens when the principal contracts have been let that railways require more sleepers and find they are able to pay for them but it is one of the rules of the pool we understand that the clients el: a group pay the average price (worked out at the end of each year) for the sleepers purchased for them by the officer of the group i to be more definite if the principal contract for