working silver halide emulsion. There is no particular restriction on the halogen composition of the silver halide emulsion being used and silver chloride, silver chlorobro› mide, silver iodobromide, silver iodobromochloride, etc., can be used. In this invention, the content of silver iodide of the silver halide emulsion is preferably not more than 5 mol %, and more preferably not more than 3 mol %. 

The silver halide grains for use in this invention can have a relatively broad grain size distribution, but has preferably a narrow grain size distribution, and in particular, a mono› dispersed silver halide emulsion containing silver halide grains 90% of the total silver halide grains of which are within –40% of the mean grain size is preferred. 

The mean grain size of the silver halide grains for use in this invention is preferably not larger than 0.7 µm, and particularly preferably not larger than 0.4 µm. Also, the silver halide grains may have a regular crystal form such as cubic, octahedral, etc., or may have an irregular crystal form such as spherical, tabular, rounded wedge shape, etc. 

The silver halide emulsion for use in this invention can be prepared by an optional known method. That is, an acid method, a neutral method, an ammoniacal method, etc., may be used and for the mixing process of a soluble silver salt and a soluble halide, a single jet method, a reverse mixing method, a double jet method, or a combination thereof can be used. When as one of double jet methods, a pAg controlled double jet method (C.D.J. method), that is a method of keeping a constant silver ion concentration (PAg) in a liquid phase of forming the silver halide grains is used, a monodispersed silver halide emulsion containing silver halide grains having a uniform crystal form and almost uniform grain sizes is obtained. During the formation or physical ripening of silver halide grains, a cadmium salt, an iridium salt, or a rhodium salt may exist in the system for increase the contrast of the silver halide emulsion formed. 

It is preferred that the content of the binder contained in the silver halide photographic emulsion layer for use in the present invention is not over 250 g per mol of the silver halide. As binder, gelatin is most preferable but other hydrophilic colloids than gelatin can be used. For example, albumin, casein, graft polymers of gelatin and other poly- mers, hydrophilic synthetic polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylamide, etc., can be used. 

The silver halide emulsion for use in this invention may not be chemically sensitized but usually is chemically sen› sitized. As the chemical sensitizing method, a sulfur sensi- tizing method, a reduction sensitizing method, a noble metal sensitizing method, or a combination thereof is used but a particularly preferred chemical sensitizing method for the practice of this invention is a sulfur sensitizing method and a combination of a sulfur sensitization and a gold sensiti- zation which is one of noble metal sensitization. 

For the sulfur sensitization, active gelatin, thiosulfates, thioureas, allylthiocarbamide, etc., can be used. For the gold sensitization, HAuC1$_{4}$ , Au(SCN)i- salt, Au(S$_{2}$ 0$_{3}$ )i 3 - salt etc., can be used. 

The silver halide emulsion for use in this invention may be spectrally sensitized using one or more kinds of sensi› tizing dyes for imparting a spectral sensitivity at a desired wavelength region. 

The silver halide photographic material of the present invention has at least one layer containing a negative› working silver halide emulsion on a support and may have other light-insensitive hydrophilic colloidal layers such as a protective layer, an interlayer, an antihalation layer, a filter layer, etc. 

These hydrophilic colloidal layers may contain an inor› ganic or organic hardening agent. As the hardening agent, 

chromium salts (chromium alum, etc.), aldehydes (formal› dehyde, glyoxal, etc.), N-methylol compounds (dimethy› lolurea, methyloldimethylhydantoin, etc.), active halogen compounds (2,4-dichloro-6-hydroxy-s-triazine, mucochlo- ric acid, etc.), active vinyl compounds (1,3,5-triacryloyl› hexahydro-s-triazine, etc.), epoxy derivatives and aziridine derivatives hardening agents can be used. 

The foregoing hydrophilic colloidal layer(s) for use in this invention can contain, if necessary, various photographic additives such as emulsion stabilizers (hydroxytetraazain› dene compounds such as 6-hydroxy-4-methyl- l,3,3a,7- tetraazaindene, etc.), spreading agents (saponin, etc.), gela› tin plasticizers (copolymers of acrylic acid esters, etc.), antistatic agents, coating aids, various kinds of surface active agents (cationic, anionic, nonionic, and amphoteric surface active agents) for various purposes such as the improvement of photographic characteristics (e.g., a devel› opment acceleration and the increase of contrast, etc.), antifoggants (hydroquinone, 5-methylbenzotriazole, 1-phe› nyl- 5-mercaptotetrazole, etc.), matting agents, water-in- soluble or sparingly water-soluble polymer latexes (homo› or copolymers of alkyl acrylate, alkyl methacrylate, acrylic acid, glycidyl acrylate, etc.) for improving the dimensional stability of the silver halide photographic material, etc., as long as the effects of the present invention are not reduced. 

Then, the alkaline photographic developer being used in the present invention is explained. The developer of this invention is an alkaline developer containing at least an aminophenol derivative developing agent and a reductone compound. 

Furthermore, for obtaining high-contrast images more rapidly and stably, the developer can contain at least one kind of the quaternary ammonium salt compounds shown by formula (C-I) described above, the amines shown by for› mula (C-11) or (C-ill) described above, and the cyclic imino compounds shown by (C-IV) described above as a third component. 

The quaternary ammonium salt compound shown by formula (C-I) for use in this invention is explained in detail. 

As the alkyl group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms shown by Ru, R$_{12}$ , R$_{13}$ , and R$_{14 }$in formula (C-I), an alkyl group having from 1 to 14 carbon atoms is particularly preferred and examples thereof are methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, n-hexyl, n-octyl, n-decyl, n-dodecyl, and n-tetradecyl. Also, these alkyl groups may have a substituent such as preferably a halogen atom, a hydroxy group, an alkoxy group, an acyloxy group, a carbamoyl group, and a trialkylammonium group. 

Specific examples of the substituted alkyl group are 2-bromoethyl, hydroxyethyl, 3-hydroxypropyl, methoxy› ethoxymethyl, 2-acetoxyethyl, 2-n-propionyloxyethyl, 2-carbamoylethyl, 6-trimethylarnmoniumhexyl, and 10-tri- methylarnmonium-n-decyl. 

As the alkenyl group shown by Ru, R$_{12}$ , R$_{13}$ , and R$_{14 }$in formula (C-I), an alkenyl group having from 2 to 8 carbon atoms is particularly preferable and examples thereof are vinyl, allyl, 2-butenyl, 3-hexenyl, and 4-octenyl. 

As the cycloalkyl group shown by Ru, R$_{12}$ , R$_{13}$ , and R$_{14}$ , cyclopentyl and cyclohexyl are preferred. These cycloalkyl groups may be substituted with, preferably, an alkyl group (methyl, ethyl, etc.), a hydroxy group, or a hydroxyalkyl group (hydroxymethyl, 2-hydroxyethyl, etc.). Specific examples of the substituted cyaloalkyl group are 2-hydroxy› cyclopentyl, 3-hydroxycyclohexy 1, 4-hydroxycyclohexy 1, 3-(2’-hydroxyethyl)cyclopentyl, 3-(2’-hydroxyethyl)cyclo- hexyl, and 2-methylcyclopentyl. 

As the unsubstituted or substituted aralkyl group shown by Ru, R$_{12}$ , R$_{13}$ , and R$_{14}$ , benzyl, p-methoxybenzyl, p-me- 

