REPORT FOR THE ARMY COUNCIL ON MESOPOTAMIA.
by
J. P. Hewett
WALTER
STORAGE





|


TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PARA. PAGE.
1. Itinerary ... - - - 3
2. Terms of Referenc 3
3. Personnel ... - - - • - - • * * - - - - - - 3
4. Conditions in Mesopotamia in Summer of 1917 3
8. The Scheme for Agricultural Development in 1918 4
15 Expenditure on Irrigation - - - - - - - - - 6
16. Agricultural Machinery 7
17. Results of the Scheme 7
21. Summer Crop of 1918 ... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - • * * * * * - - - • * * • * * 9
22. Balance Sheet and Proposed Debit to Civil Administration ... - - - - - - - * * - - - • * * 10
25. The Directorate of Local Resources ... - - - • - - - - - - - - - - - " - • * * * - - 12
29. Agricultural Development in 1919 ... • *- - - - - - - - - - - - • - * - • - - 14
33. Directorates of Irrigation and Agriculture ... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 15
34. Irrigation ... . . . . . . . • - • - - - - - • *- - - - - - - - - - • * * • * * • - - 15
36. Communications and Buildings ... • - • - - - - - - - - - - - - - • - • - • * * 17
37. Establishment and Transport ... - - - - - - - - - * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 17
38. Agriculture • - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - • *- - - - - - - • - • * * - - 17
40. Pumps - - - - - - - - - • - • * * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - • * * 18
42. Sind Ploughs - - - - - - • - - - - - • - • * * - - - - - - • * * - - - • - - • - 21
43. Estimated Expenditure ... - - - - - - • - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - • - ... 21
44. Share to be Debited to Civil Administration ... < ... - - - - - - - - - * - - - - - - - 21
45. Advances ... • * - - - - • * - - - - • * * • - - - - - - - • - - - - - - - • • • 23
47. Distribution of Expenditure on Schemes outside the Agricultural Development Scheme ... 24
52. Undertakings of Permanent Value for Mesopotamia ... - - - • - • - - - - - - - - 26
53. Port of Basrah * - - • • - • - - - - - - - • - - - - 27
61. Port Equipment ... - 29
67. Inland Water Transport's Dockyard, Workshops and Fleet ... • *- - - - - - - - - - ... 31
74. Boat Bridges ... ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
76. Railways ... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - • * * - - - - - - - - - - - - • * - • - -
77. Telegraphs, Telephones and Posts - - - - - - - - • - ... . . . . - - - * - ... 36
78. Water Supply • * * - - - * - - - - - - - - • - - - - - • * * • * * • * - - - - ... 36
79. Electrical and Mechanical Installation ... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 37
80. Miscellaneous - - - - - - - - - * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - • - - ... 38
81. Summary of Proposed Recoveries from the Revenues of the Occupied Territory ... • * * ... 40
82. Financial Control over Agricultural and Irrigation Schemes ... - - - - - - - - - • - - - - 41
Appendices ... • * - - - - • - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * - - - - - - - ... 43
NOTE.
The Political Resident representing the Government of India in the Persian Gulf was called the Chief
Political Officer with Force D till September, 1917. His title was then changed to that of Civil Commissioner.
Political Officer is the designation of the officer in charge of the civil administration in each of the fourteen
divisions of Mesopotamia.
Revenue means the proportion of the produce paid to the State either in kind (revenue grain) or in cash.
All revenue matters were controlled by the Revenue Commissioner till the end of January, 1917. On the
1st February, 1917, the work, till then performed by the Revenue Commissioner, was transferred to the
Revenue Board, consisting of himself and one other member.
In the map many of the names of places are not spelt in the authorized manner. Endeavour has been
made to avoid confusion by putting within brackets, when necessary, after the mention of the name of a
place in the text, its name as spelt in the map.
Rupees have been converted at the rate of 15 to the sovereign, fractions being omitted except when
their mention is essential, e.g., in referring to prices.
The expression spring harvest (mainly of wheat and barley) means the harvest sown in the autumn and
winter and reaped in May and June, or even later; the expression summer harvest means the harvest sown
at different times in the summer and reaped in the autumn. -


5
advances at £30,000. The scheme as prepared by Mr. Garbett did not contain any allotment for
original irrigation works which were arranged for separately (paragraph 15). The total estimate was
therefore £300,000, the whole of which would be recoverable from the landlords and farmers.
The scheme was referred by Sir Stanley Maude to a committee consisting of Sir Percy Cox, Civil
Commissioner, the Deputy Quartermaster-General, the Financial Adviser, the Engineer in Chief, the
Director of Supplies and Transport, the Director of Local Resources, the Superintending Engineer,
Hindiyah Irrigation Works and Mr. Garbett. [Appendix V.] The Committee approved of the scheme
on the 10th August. By adding to the estimate £100,000 for staff, machinery and transport charges,
they raised it to £400,000. They contemplated that repayment in the form of Government revenue
would begin in the following June. The scheme received the administrative approval of the Army
Commander on the 12th August, and final approval was given by the War Office on the 16th September.
Mr. Garbett was appointed Administrator under the Civil Commissioner who was at the outset in executive
charge of the scheme. Subsequently, with the consent of the Civil Commissioner, Mr. Garbett was
directed to report to the Deputy Quartermaster-General, and thenceforward he acted as liaison officer
responsible both to the Civil and Military authorities. Under Mr. Garbett’s supervision the detailed
arrangements of the scheme were entrusted to the political officers and the ordinary machinery of the
civil administration, aided by a very small additional establishment.
9. In its original conception the scheme provided for the production of wheat, barley and bhusa,
and was confined to the areas commanded by the canals on the Euphrates. The estimate of land avail
able was based on inaccurate maps. The administration depended upon Turkish records, and the
Euphrates area was to a great extent unexplored. It was found necessary to include privately owned
lands as well as Government land in the scheme, thus reducing the quantity of revenue grain which would
become due to Government. The final forecast of revenue grain was therefore fixed at 50,000 tons.
Further difficulties ensued. Tribal disturbances suspended the work of canal clearance on two of the
most important canals for over a month, and thereby prevented 100,000 acres from being cultivated.
Compensation for this was found in other areas. Our advance on the Diyalah took place, and the efforts
of the political officers brought back the tribes to the Tigris. The estimate of grain that would be
available for the army was eventually increased by 17,000 tons in Baghdad, and 10,000 tons in Basrah
to a total of 117,000 tons to consist of :—
Wheat • • • * • • • - ... 10,000 tons.
Barley .. - - • • • • ... 107,000 tons.
As already remarked this surplus was calculated with reference to the needs of the civil population,
and it made no provision for demands by either the military or civil authorities on behalf of refugees
not normally resident in the two wilayats.
10. The Chief Political Officer had meanwhile authorized the grant of certain revenue concessions
to the leading Shaikhs (tribal leaders) in the Euphrates area in return for their co-operation, and, in
pursuance of this arrangement, the provision of seed for the areas commanded by the Hillah canals was
guaranteed by the Shaikhs. As a result the amount of seed to be advanced was reduced from 15,000 tons
to 6,000 tons, the remaining 9,000 tons being provided by the tribes themselves from stock which other-
wise would have been sold. The greater portion of the seed required, viz., 4,000 tons of barley and
1,700 tons of wheat, were ordered during August and September from India by the Director of Local
Resources. Mr. Garbett has placed on record his opinion that the success of the scheme, so far as it
has been attained, is largely due to the foresight of Colonel (now Brigadier-General) E. Dickson, C.M.G.,
Director of Local Resources, in placing this order, and to his accurate provision of the difficulties of
purchasing seed in Mesopotamia without disturbing severely the economic conditions of the country.
11. The amount to be advanced in the form of seed having been reduced to 6,000 tons and, as it
appeared to be unlikely that the addition of £100,000 made to Mr. Garbett's original estimate by the
Committee which examined it would be required, the estimate of the cash expenditure involved in the
scheme was reduced to £150,000. -
12. The greater portion of the seed was, as already remarked, furnished by the Director of Local
Resources. His calculation of the cost of importing it from India worked out at Rs. 215 (£143) for a
ton of barley, and Rs. 280 (£18#) for a ton of wheat. It was agreed that the seed thus advanced to the
Administrator of the scheme should be paid for at these rates, or returned in kind. The price at which
the civil authorities would advance it to the cultivators was fixed by them at Rs. 240 (£16) for barley
and Rs. 410 (£274) for wheat. This was regarded by the Administrator as the lowest figure at which
seed could be sold with any confidence that it would be sown, and not sold again or eaten. The local
rate at the time for wheat was Rs. 610 (£403) per ton. It was obvious that the new crop ought to be
heavier than the previous one, and that, if this expectation was realized, prices must fall. Had the
seed been advanced on too easy terms it would have been sold, the farmer relying on repaying from what
he could borrow when prices fell.
13. Another direction in which aid was given to the Arab cultivators was by giving them assistance
to repair and bring into use pumping plant in their possession. Cultivation on the banks of the Tigris
depends on lift irrigation. The most important form of lifts are pumps. Owing to war conditions
these had fallen into disrepair, and there were no workshops available to the public. The Revenue
department undertook, with considerable success, to supply the needs of the cultivators in this respect.
Pumping sets owned by Arabs were overhauled, and facilities provided for the repairs of broken parts
and the supply of spares if necessary. The agricultural machinery section of the scheme was eventually
absorbed by the Director of Works. In the section of the Electrical and Mechanical Workshops, 451


6
sets of pumps have been dealt with. Arrangements were also made with Messrs. Strick, Scott & Co.,
acting on behalf of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, whereby oil at an all round rate of 1 rupee (1s. 4d.)
per gallon was made available to the cultivators. This rate has since been reduced to 15 annas (1s. 3d.)
per gallon.
14. Thus all arrangements had been made for the rapid and early development of the cultivated
area, when further encouragement was given to the scheme by telegraphic instructions received in
December, 1917, from the Army Council by the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, to do all in his
power to develop local resources especially as regards vegetables and cereals, and to give all possible
encouragement to military farms and soldiers' gardens. These orders insisted on the extreme importance
of saving tonnage by development and utilization of local resources to the utmost.
Meantime scarcity of grain had been making itself felt, and it had become increasingly difficult
to provide for the civil population. On the 17th November, 1917, a telegram was despatched to India
asking for the monthly despatch to Mesopotamia of 3,000 tons, 50 per cent. wheat, and 25 per cent.
each barley and rice, for the use of the civil population. In January, 1918, the local price of wheat
was Rs. 1120 (£74#) and that of barley Rs. 700 (£46#) per ton. This supply from India continued until
March, 1918.
Expenditure on Irrigation in 1918.
15. The arrangements for extending the facilities for irrigation by means of canals for the spring
harvest of 1918 must now be described. As already mentioned the estimate for the agricultural develop-
ment scheme contained no allotment for clearing any but private canals, or for construction of new
ones. This work remained for the time in the hands of the Civil Commissioner, and at first the work of
clearing the canals was directed by the revenue staff. Control was gradually handed over to five British
engineering officers lent to the Army, but it was not till February, 1918, that a Director of Irrigation
was appointed.
On the Tigris no direct work was carried out by official agency, but the reconstruction of an important
dam on the Diyalah, dominated until September by the Turkish guns, was arranged for by Arab labour
through the influence of the Political Officer. The Baqubah canals were also cleared by local agency.
In the Euphrates area an expenditure of Rs. 21,00,000 (£140,000) was contemplated. The actual
expenditure during the financial year 1917 and 1918 was about Rs. 16,25,000 (£108,333). The area
was organized into four districts under a Superintending Engineer. The organization was subsequently
in February, 1918, incorporated, with the addition of three districts, in the Irrigation Directorate.
A sum of Rs. 1,27,179 (£8,479) was expended on repairing damage done to buildings and workshops
by the enemy and on various repairs to the Hindiyah barrage and Hillah canal head.
Work on both the Beni Hasan and Georgiyah canals (paragraph 5) was taken in hand as soon as
the locality came under our control. By the end of June, 1917, the Beni Hasan Branch had been pro-
longed to the 20th kilometre, and by December, 1917, to the tail of the canal. The water way of the
Georgiyah canal was completed by the same time, but the earthwork on the banks of the canal could
not be finished before the canal was opened for use. The opening up of these canals brought 34,657
acres under cultivation for the spring harvest and 32,300 acres for the summer harvest of 1918. This
district had been deserted by its population owing to the failure, already mentioned, of the inundation
canals. It now bears, as I can personally testify, every sign of abundant and increasing prosperity,
and the tribes, who have returned, are now rapidly extending cultivation. The expenditure on these
two canals came to Rs. 9,82,863 (£65,524). -
An expenditure of Rs. 1,95,143 (£13,009) was incurred in clearing 61 branches of the Hillah canal.
This work was absolutely essential to the development of cultivation. Had it been neglected it would
have been impossible to distribute efficiently the water brought down by the Hillah canal.
In the Shamiyah district a sum of Rs. 71,631 (£4,775) was expended on clearing 29 canals and
constructing brushwood revetments and temporary dams to assist cultivation. In this district Rs. 93,426
(£6,228) had previously been spent by the Political Officer on Government canals, and this sum should
be added to the expenditure incurred during the financial year 1917–1918 on the irrigation programme.
The work thus carried out undoubtedly led to a very large increase in the revenue demand from the
district.
A sum of Rs. 13,729 (£915) was incurred on maintenance and repairs of canals and channels, and
Rs. 1,41,774 (£9,451) on miscellaneous expenditure not directly connected with irrigation. Of this
Rs. 68,108 (£4,541) were spent on roads. The construction of roads and bridges would ordinarily be
the duty of the Works Department, but, in the order appointing the Director of Irrigation, he was made
responsible for it in places where the Works Department was not represented. It was naturally one
of the first requirements of the country and would have been equally necessary in order to tap existing
resources had there been no scheme for agricultural development. Such tracks as were in existence
were impassable for motor traffic, and much levelling and cutting had to be carried out. Many rough
masonry culverts were constructed for crossing the existing water channels and a few of a more permanent
nature. The Musayib and Tuwairij (Hindie) boat bridges were also constructed at a total expenditure
of Rs. 38,328 (£2,555). The Tuwairij bridge crosses the Hindiyah branch of the Euphrates opposite
the flourishing town of Tuwairij, and will be of permanent value to the district. The Musayib bridge
is on the road to Karbala from Baghdad. It has been temporarily removed, and the military authorities
are under engagement to replace it. Two other small works were carried out by the Irrigation Depart-
ment the cost of which is included in the amount of miscellaneous expenditure. The town of Najaf
(Nejef) derives its water supply from a small canal taking water from the Hindiyah branch of the


7
Euphrates. In order to assure a constant supply of water to the canal a small pumping installation
was erected at a cost of Rs. 7,282 (£485). Petty repairs to the streets of Hillah town were also done
at a cost of Rs. 1,765 (£118).
Agricultural Machinery.
16. There are two minor matters relating to orders for agricultural machinery for the spring harvest,
1918, which require notice. The first relates to a dispute with regard to an order placed with the Sunshine
Harvester Company, Australia, for the provision of 25 Sunshine Harvesters. The facts connected
with this order are briefly as follows:—
In September, 1917, Sir Percy Cox requested the Government of India to make inquiries from
Australia as to the type of oil-driven reaping and threshing machines most suitable for a flat country.
On the 8th November, 1917, the Government of India telegraphed as follows:—[Telegram No. 76055,
Secret, to General, Baghdad.]
“Reported by Australia that mobile oil-driven reaping and threshing machines suitable
only for flat country being built by Sunshine Harvester Company. One special operator
required per machine who attends to reaping, threshing and driving of engine single handed.
Approximate price £285 each machine: 50 machines available in Australia. Weight 2 tons:
capacity 2 acres per hour if crop 60 bushels per acre.” -
On this a telegram was sent to purchase 25 Harvesters, each to be accompanied by a special operator.
On the 17th December the Government of India telegraphed as follows:—
“Purchased 25 latest type Sunshine Harvesters, eight feet comb, seven horse power double
cylinder engines which drive mechanism of machines, whilst horses or mules merely draw
machine through crop.”
On the 4th January the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief wired to enquire the size and number
of mules required for each machine; stating that the necessity for a large number would greatly detract
from the suitability of the machine, and that, if feasible, he might wish to cancel his order. He received a
reply on the 23rd January that 4 mules or light horses were required for each machine and on the 24th
January a telegram was sent cancelling the order. The Governor-General of Australia subsequently, on the
7th February, cabled that the contractors refused to cancel the contract. He added that the machines
reaped grain only, leaving straw untouched, and were too heavy for irrigated land. On the 7th March
the order was definitely cancelled; but the contractors are preferring a claim for compensation. The
original order was given on the understanding that the machines were prime movers and required one
man to operate. This appears to be areasonable inference to draw from the telegram of the 8th November
from the Government of India on which the order was based. The order was cancelled owing to the
difficulty of dealing with 100 horses or mules and the personnel required to look after them. It does
not appear that any blame attaches to the authorities in Mesopotamia in the matter or that they should
be called upon to pay damages. The original cost of 25 machines was about £7,500.
The second matter relates to an order for tractors with steam tackle. -
On the 18th January, 1918, a telegram [Telegram No. Q 2887] was sent by the General Officer
Commanding-in-Chief, Baghdad, to the Chief of the General Staff, Delhi, and repeated to the War Office,
London, ordering ten threshing machines and twelve tractors to drive them. The machines were
required to release as quickly as possible the cattle and labour that would be engaged on reaping and
threshing the spring crops, and it was stated that material assistance would be afforded if this machinery
could be provided in time to deal with the harvest between April and May, 1918. The first of these
machines did not, however, arrive until October, 1918, and the rest have arrived at later dates.
No invoice has been received as yet and their cost is unknown. The Director of Agriculture states
that the type is suitable to the country, and can be usefully employed in the Euphrates area, being moved
from place to place as required. The civil authorities will probably be ready to take them over on terms
to be arranged, as they should certainly be valuable in educating the Arab farmer, who has a natural
inclination to adopt labour-saving machinery. -
17. The account of the expenditure on production of grain in 1918 is now complete. It covers
only the agricultural and irrigation operations, including the transportation of the revenue grain to the
local government granaries. The cost of cleaning, bagging and transporting the grain and bhusa to
the centres at which the Supply Department would take possession of it is a separate matter (see para-
graphs 26–28). The time has now arrived for examining the degree of success attained in increasing
the yield of wheat and barley under the scheme.
In endeavouring to form a just appreciation of the success attained by measures taken to stimulate
and extend cultivation in 1918, one is confronted by the initial difficulty that no reliable estimate can
beformed of the area under cultivation, or of the crop which matured in 1917. Mr. Garbett in his annual
report has stated:—“The areas matured in 1917 appear to have been about 100,000 acres on the
Euphrates to Diwaniyah; 5,000 acres on the Tigris and 10,000 acres on the Diyalah. Of the gross
area on the Euphrates 60,000 acres were harvested on the Dagharah.” The data on which this estimate


14
that the wholesale price of barley had gone down in the town in the previous week from Rs. 120 (£8)
to Rs. 100 (£63) a ton. In the country districts it would naturally be at a much lower figure. In the
bazaar at Kut on the 14th February the retailers were selling barley at a price which would work out at
about Rs. 94 (£6) a ton. They must have been purchasing it wholesale at a much lower figure, and it
would indeed appear that at the same time barley could have been purchased at Amarah at between Rs. 60
(£4) and Rs. 70 (£4%) per ton. There is said to be at least 20,000 tons still available for purchase in the
Euphrates area, and this can be secured when prices, as a result in part of the success of the scheme, have
fallen to a sufficiently low figure. -
Agricultural Development in 1919.
29. The efforts to increase local production in 1918 were naturally repeated in 1919, since the considera-
tions which inspired them in July had gained force by the beginning of 1918.
In February, 1918, Mr. Ward, Inspector General of Irrigation in India, and Mr. G. S. Henderson,
Imperial Agriculturist, were deputed from India to assist the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief as
to methods to be adopted to ensure the fullest development of local resources in Mesopotamia. Their
visit coincided with one by Lieut.-General Sir Edward Altham, Quartermaster-General in India, and Sir
Thomas Holland, President of the Munitions Board. Messrs. Ward and Henderson were associated
with the authorities in Mesopotamia in preparing the estimates for the scheme for encouraging cultivation
for the harvest of 1919. On the 15th March, 1918, the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief forwarded
to the Chief of the General Staff in India an ad interim report by these two gentlemen to enable demands
for agricultural equipment urgently required to be formulated before the Quartermaster-General and
President of the Munitions Board left Baghdad. Mr. Henderson submitted a further report on agri-
culture in Mesopotamia to the Quartermaster-General in India on the 15th April, and Mr. Ward one on
irrigation on the 14th May.
30. The estimate for 1919 was, after intermediate telegraphic communications, emerging out of the
consideration by the Commander-in-Chief in India of Messrs. Ward and Henderson’s report of the 14th
March, telegraphed on the 22nd April by the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief to the Chief of the
General Staff, Simla. [Telegram X8328, dated 22nd April, 1918. (Appendix XI).] This telegram was
drafted by a Committee consisting of the Director of Local Resources, the Director of Irrigation,
Mr. Ward, Mr. Henderson and Mr. Garbett. It was stated in the telegram that the estimates were rough
estimates only, and that they would be subsequently liable to modification. In some respects
they do not appear to have been based on well-ascertained data, but they have not been modified since
in any particular. This telegram was communicated from India to the War Office, which gave its
sanction to the recommendations contained in it. [Telegram No. 7373 DQMG, dated 14th May, 1918.
(Appendix XII).] The figures embodied in it were accordingly accepted by the Financial Adviser as
the figures within which expenditure must be kept.
They were as follows:–
Rs. £
(1) Irrigation . . - - - - - - • - - - ... 1,30,85,000 (872,333)
(2) Advances—
(a) Cash at Rs. 5 (6s. 8d.) per acre newly cultivated
land - - • - • * - - • * - - 40,00,000 (266,666)
(b) Ten thousand tons of seed—cost estimated by the
Financial Adviser at . . - - - - • * 34,50,000 (230,000)
(c) Cattle—2,000 pairs at Rs. 150 (£10) a head - - 6,00,000 (40,000)
(d) Pumping sets 200 at Rs. 12,000 (£800) . . - - 24,00,000 (160,000)
(e) Ploughs, 2,000 - - • * - - • * 30,000 (2,000)
It was anticipated that there might be a 10 per cent. loss on the total of the advances [Rs. 1,04,80,000
(£698,666)] or Rs. 10,48,000 (£69,866) and that the balance, except the amount to be recovered for pumps,
would be recoverable with the harvest of 1919. The amount to be advanced for pumping sets
would, it was expected, be recovered half at the harvest of 1919 and the balance within two years.
31. The sanction of the War Office was given subject to the conditions that the expenditure should
be limited to immediate food development, and complete and accurate accounts of operations kept.
This second condition will be referred to later (paragraph 82). The first one was imposed with reference
to a proposal made by Mr. Henderson in his report of the 15th April, and supported in the General Officer
Commanding-in-Chief's telegram of the 22nd April. This was for the starting of production estates on which
cultivation would be carried on directly by Government Agency. The farms suggested were of 2,000
to 3,000 acres in size, and the total area contemplated to start with 20,000 acres. It was hoped to raise
for the army on this area 15,000 tons, mainly of wheat, oats and gram (cicer arietinum), the wheat obtain-
able locally being insufficient, and oats and gram being unobtainable. It was urged, on behalf of the
scheme for these farms, that they would help the administration to secure a better ratio of wheat to
barley, and would assist sheep breeding. Government ventures of this nature over large areas do not
often succeed in the East. The risk of leakage in both receipts and expenditure is great; the alternative
of European supervision eats into profits. It was no wonder then that the Government of India did
not support the scheme for production farms, and advised the War Office to limit its sanction to expendi-
ture on immediate food development.


17
work was begun in June, 1918, and the canal was formally opened on the 10th January, 1919. The
old head below the gorge has been finally closed. The new reach has in the course of its length five
concrete falls. The head regulator is built entirely of concrete and has six openings, each 10 by 5 feet.
The rock excavation entailed was about 30,000 feet in length to a maximum depth of 60 feet. There is
a rise in the river at the head of 29 feet between low water level and high flood level. The new canal
is capable of commanding an area of 250,000 acres.
Communications.
36. In the Euphrates area, the Directorate of Irrigation has constructed 667 miles of roads with
444 masonry culverts at a cost including maintenance of Rs. 5,35,243 (£35,683). A convenient system
of communication has thus been provided for this area.
Buildings.
A sum of Rs. 3,53,937 (£23,596) has been expended on buildings. Of this Rs. 1,18,000 (£7,866)
have been spent on the construction of military buildings, that is, residences required for officers and men
of the force, for the personnel of the Directorate of Local Resources, and other military requirements.
A sum of Rs. 1,51,937 (£10,129) has been expended on the buildings required for the Irrigation Depart-
ment, and Rs. 84,000 (£5,600) on those required for the Political Staff.
Establishment.
37. Mr. Ward's figures for Establishment were:—
Rs. £
Direction - - • • - - - - - - • - - - 1,35,000 (9,000)
Executive . . - - - - • - - - • - • - 14,00,000 (93,333)
Total - - - - • - - - 15,35,000 (102,333)
The figures of expenditure, booked to the end of October, and estimated on the October figures
from November to March, are:—
- Rs. £
Superintendence and direction .. • - - - - - 2,74,000 (18.267)
Executive . . * - • - • * • - - - * - 11,83,000 (78,866)
Total . . . . . . . . 14,57,000 (97,133)
The figure of expenditure includes rations, which were not included in the forecast.
Transport.
Mr. Ward estimated the cost of transport at Rs. 2,50,000 (£16,667). It is not possible to form more
than a rough estimate of the probable expenditure to the end of March, but this is not likely to exceed
Rs. 3,00,000 (£20,000). The total expenditure for the directorate till the close of the financial year will
therefore probably be:—
Rs. £
Works - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 84,62,000 (564,133)
Establishment - - • - - - - - • • • * 14,57,000 (97,133)
(Includes charges for horses and rations of all kinds) ->
Transport .. • * - - - - - - - - 3,00,000 (20,000)
(Mechanical transport for District and Touring Officers
only) - -
Total . . - - • - ... 1,02,19,000 (681,267)
Advances.
38. The distribution of seed advances, in connection with the agricultural development scheme,
1919, and the management of demonstration farms was made over to the Directorate of Agriculture,
the duties of which are mentioned in paragraph 33, with effect from the 1st July, 1918.
The general policy of the Directorate has been to encourage in every possible way an increase in the
production of food and fodder. With this object demonstration farms have been established near Aziziyah,
Kadhimain, Samarrah, Hillah, Baqubah, Khaniqin, Amarah and Nasiriyah. The whole area under
cultivation at these farms comes to 1,000 acres; at each farm plots have been sown with two pedigree
Punjab wheats (Punjab 11 and Punjab 17), and adjoining plots have been sown with the two best
varieties of wheat which can be produced in the neighbourhood. In addition, at the Baghdad farm,
17 varieties of Mesopotamian wheat, and 2 varieties of Indian wheat are being tested, as well as 11
varieties of local barley. An attempt is being made in every district to show the Shaikhs and their
sirkals (bailiffs) the yields that can be obtained by the use of good seed and proper methods of cultivation.
(C 1935) C


18
The objections to direct cultivation on a large scale as proposed by Mr. Henderson are stated in
paragraph 31, but 1,200 acres of Waziriyah, near Baghdad, have been sown with the two pedigree Punjab
wheats. The seed produced on this farm, should the experiment prove successful, will be distributed
to farmers.
There are four main dairy and fodder farms situated at Baghdad, Kut, Amarah and Basrah for the
production of milk, butter and cream (principally for hospitals) and fodder. At each place careful milk
records are kept after every milking. There are smaller farms at Ramadi and Nasiriyah, with a young
stock farm at Ali Gharbi. The area under cultivation on the 31st December, 1918, was 3,600 acres.
Fodder and vegetables were produced in Divisional, Brigade and unit gardens in the last six months
of 1918 as follows:–
Amount in lbs. Value.
Rs. £
Fodder . . - - - - - - - - 9,478,759 2,34,701 (15,647)
Vegetables - - - - - - - - 880,717 58,240 (3,883)
The Board of Agriculture supplied seed, implements, advice and supervision, the unit finding labour.
A small experiment has been conducted in the cultivation of ground nuts. All imported seeds are
examined by a seed-testing officer at Basrah, with a view to controlling the import of undesirable seed
and restricting the chance of introducing harmful diseases and pests. The work of the Directorate
connected with dairy and fodder farms and the cultivation of vegetables for the army is mentioned as
illustrating how the duties of the Director and his staff have been distributed between the army and the
civil administration. The Directorate has since the 1st March come under the Civil Commissioner,
but the personnel will continue under the military establishment, and on military pay till the end of the
financial year (31st March). The Director will still remain in charge of the dairy and grass farms, and
the cost of managing them will be borne by the military estimates.
39. A note by the Audit Officer on the accounts of the Agricultural Directorate is appended [Appendix
XV], which compares Mr. Ward's estimate of the agricultural requirements of the 1919 scheme with the
revised estimate to the 31st March. Mr. Ward made no estimate for staff and contingencies. The
actual expenditure on the staff of the Agricultural Directorate to the end of December has been Rs. 2,68,710
(£17,914), and the estimated expenditure to the close of the financial year is Rs. 4,00,000 (£26,667).
Cash advances at Rs. 5 (6s. 8d.) per acre of newly cultivated land were estimated at Rs. 40,00,000
(£266,667). The Board of Agriculture have sanctioned up to date an allotment of Rs. 6,00,000 (£40,000)
for cash advances, which are being made by political officers. These advances are for cattle, seed and
implements, and also for the clearance of canals which do not come within the programme of the Irriga-
tion Department. Only Rs. 2,08,011 (£13,867) have actually been advanced. The expenditure under
this head will thus be far below the estimate. It was intended to distribute 10,000 tons of seed at an
estimated cost of Rs. 34,50,000 (£230,000); 6,100 tons have been advanced at a cost of Rs. 13,50,000
(£90,000). The advances have been made in ample time, and, in view of the favourable agricultural
situation, there is every reason to hope that they will all be recovered. The original intention was to
distribute 2,000 pairs of plough cattle, to be charged for at Rs. 300 (£20) the pair. The advances on
this account were thus shown at Rs. 6,00,000 (£40,000). The number was subsequently reduced to
900 pairs. Over 700 of these have arrived, and the remainder are on their way. The estimate of
Rs. 1,92,600 (£12,840) covers the cost of the whole number; 165 have been retained by the Director
for his demonstration farms and the remainder are being sold to farmers at Rs. 150 (£10) a head, at
which rate they command a ready sale. They cost landed at Baghdad Rs. 107 (£75,) a head. Between
30 and 40 have been lost. The sale is a cash transaction, and the whole of the estimated expenditure
should be recovered.
*40. The arrangements for the supply of pumping sets to farmers for the harvest of 1919, the purchase
money to take the form of a repayable advance, need to be referred to at some length. A considerable
number of pumps in private ownership were repaired in 1918 (paragraph 13), and it was anticipated that
farmers would be found ready to purchase others for the harvest of 1919. On the 14th March, 1918,
the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief telegraphed to the Chief of the General Staff, Delhi, in the
following terms:—“Ward and Henderson recommend supply of pumps with engines with a minimum
in numbers of 100 and maximum of 200. Pumps should be centrifrugal of any size from 6-inch upwards
with a lift of 35 feet. They would be resold to cultivators and we should benefit by increased supplies
of grain. Ward agrees 50 such pumps could be found in India, and Henderson suggests some are
obtainable from Egypt. Piping should be supplied with pumps. Description of suitable pumps follows
by post, and I propose with Sir Thomas Holland's concurrence to send an officer with experience in the
use of these pumps to Munitions Board in India.” We were informed by the acting Civil Commissioner
that he deprecated, when discussing the matter with Mr. Ward, the idea that in the conditions existing—
labour, cement and bricks all being both scarce and dear—it would be advisable to attempt to instal a
large number of pumps immediately. -
With the letter promised in the last sentence of the above-quoted telegram were despatched Messrs.
Ward and Henderson's ad interim report of the 14th March, and a specification for the pumping sets
prepared by the Deputy Director of Works (Electrical and Mechanical). [No. Q-2021, dated the 15th
March, 1918, from General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force, to Chief of
the General Staff, Delhi.] . . . .


28
the facilities of the port. These improvements were in progress during the whole of 1916.
We have been informed that delays to steamers were at first occasioned, not so much by in-
ability to get cargo out and placed in lighters or mahailas, as by inability or unwillingness of
the military departments ashore to receive it with sufficient rapidity. It is clear that manage-
ment of the traffic of a port and discharge of cargo was not work to which officers of the Royal
Indian Marine had previously been accustomed. They found themselves at Basra with a
task on hand of which they had had no experience, with an inadequate and inexperienced
staff, shortage of labour, a port where the facilities ashore were of the most meagre description,
and where traffic was constantly increasing and congestion becoming greater. We are told
that at one time there were 40 steamers waiting to discharge, and that they lay in a line 8 miles
long up and down the river. Small wonder that arrangements broke down, despite the willing
efforts of the officer in charge. Much of the difficulty could have been avoided, in our opinion,
if, from the first, someone accustomed to traffic management of a commercial port, and the
handling of cargoes, had been appointed to assist. Men with these qualifications were known
to be employed in one or other of the great Indian and Burmese river ports. Their advice
was not asked for; and their assistance was not utilised until more than a year after the landing
of the Expedition in Mesopotamia when conditions at Basra had become serious.”
56. These conditions continued until June, 1916, when the construction of wharves was begun
on the river front of Magil. The first wharf was completed in 1916, and the second during April 1917.
Very great progress has since been effected. At Upper Magil there are now six deep sea wharves with a
continuous frontage on the river of 3,000 feet, and two detached deep sea wharves with a frontage of
650 feet. These wharves are built entirely of teak and, owing to the conditions of the river and the
absence of boring insects should last for at least thirty years.
There are also two other detached
deep sea wharves—one for the Royal Engineers Field Park, near Khora creek, and the other for the
Inland Water Transport Depôt at Magil, but these are lightly built, and designed for only temporary
purposes.
57. The following wharves for river craft have also been constructed:—
Feet.
Inland Water Transport stores depot, Magil 200
Berth No. 9 . . - - - - - - - - 350
Berth No. 10 - - - - - - . . . . . 400
Pontoon landing stage between berths Nos. 7 and 8 80
Pontoon landing stage between berths Nos. 9 and 10 . 80
Two pontoon landing stages on Coal Island . . 160
Ordnance Barge wharf between berths No. 10 and 11 130
Total ..
. 1,400 lineal feet.
The first three of the river craft wharves, with a frontage of 950 feet, are constructed of Oregon
pine and the remainder of teak. The wharves constructed of Oregon pine will, if proper attention is
given to them, have a life of from 5 to 10 years.
58. The following figures show the dead weight tonnage handled at Basrah from the 1st of January
to the 31st December, 1918:-
Tonnage Tonnage Tonnage
- discharged. loaded. handled.
January 131,838 2,903 134,741
February 130,202 1,107 131,309
March... 146,006 2,695 148,701
April ... 135,846 7,764 143,610
May ... 128,531 5,157 133,688
June ... 125,642 2,606 128,248
July ... 135,002 1,592 136,594
August 114,082 1,288 115,370
September 116,030 2,507 118,537
October 118,135 2,986 121,121
November 98,022 7,225 105,247
December 98,268 4,219 102,487
Total 1,517,173 tons.
As illustrating the strain upon the capacity of the port at different periods and the success with
which it has been met, the following facts are of interest:—
During April, 1918, the daily average of ships in the port, excluding hospital ships,
ambulance, transports and tankers, was 19.8; the maximum on any day being 26.
During March, 1918, the daily average of 4,700 tons of dead weight was discharged; the
maximum on any one day being 6,843 tons.


30
There is a depôt specially designed for the construction and maintenance of the port generally. It
occupies an area of 93 acres and consists of a store, workshop, saw mill, foundry and pile-making yard,
together with housing for the staff and 950 men. A portion is also occupied by the Port Officer as a buoy
depôt.
62. The acquisition of the river frontage to a depth sufficient to provide for all the future require-
ments of the port is a matter of the first importance. Sir George Buchanan recommended that all the
land on the right bank of the river along the whole harbour front for a depth of 500 yards should be
reclaimed. A large amount of reclamation work has been carried out, the land being raised with mud
dredged from the bed of the river. It has not been possible to ascertain the cost of this reclamation.
No land has yet been paid for, but the expenditure of Rs. 20,00,000 (£133,333) has been sanctioned.
This sum will suffice for the acquisition of the entire river front from Gurmat Ali to the creek south of
the barge depôt, and to a depth of three-quarters to half-a-mile. It is, however, possible that an
additional grant may be required to complete the purchase of Messrs. Lynch Brothers’ property, for which
negotiations are proceeding. This is in the centre of the foreshore occupied by the new ocean wharves
and the river wharves, and at present forms a dangerous projection into the river which seriously inter-
feres with the currents. The acquisition of so much as is possible of the river foreshore must prove in
the future a most lucrative transaction for the port authority. The value of land in Basrah since our
occupation has risen very greatly. A proclamation was issued by the General Officer Commanding-in-
Chief on the 25th September, 1918, dealing with land to be acquired for public purposes. Under this
declaration an acquisition committee has been formed; and the value of land for the purposes of assess-
ment under the regulation has been defined to be its market value at the time of the occupation of Basrah
by His Majesty's forces, provided that in any transaction duly registered in respect of land subsequent
to this date and prior to the date of the regulation, the value of the land will be taken to be its market
value at the date of such transaction. It should be possible, in assessing the value of land to be acquired,
to obtain credit for the estimated cost of reclamation. The whole of the grant for acquisition of land,
should be debited to the civil authorities. *
63. In addition to the acquisition of Messrs. Lynch Brothers’ property, it seems essential, in order
to safeguard the future interest of the port, that a depôt on the river bank at Suraji, four miles below
Basrah, belonging to Messrs. Gray, Mackenzie and Company, the agents of the British India Steam
Navigation Company, should also be acquired. This is at present a temporary wharf which is used by
ocean ships, and the company are anxious to construct a private wharf on this site. The wharf is situated
just as conveniently to Basrah city as any of the Magil wharves, and a road to it is under construction.
As the British India Steam Navigation Company will be the chief steamer company plying to the port,
the use of this private wharf, if its construction is permitted, would damage the revenues of the port
irretrievably. -
It will probably be advisable at an early date to consider the acquisition of the land on the left bank
of the river, which can at present be acquired at a moderate cost. It is possible that wharves may be
required on this bank to deal with traffic from Ahwaz and Shustar.
64. The three chief requisites of a modern commercial port are:—
(1) Sufficient deep water accommodation alongside the river front.
(2) Abundance of cranes, and ample sheds and warehouses.
(3) Railway connections and facilities for transhipment to river steamers.
These all exist at Basrah. It has now to be considered what would be reasonable terms for the acquisi-
tion by the civil administration of the improvements to the port of Basrah effected by the expenditure
of army funds.
65. An estimate, which is attached as Appendix XXII, has been made by the Port Engineer, under
the direction of the Port Director, Colonel Dockrill, of the cost of the wharves with equipment and of
the port construction and conservancy depôt. No figures are available of the cost of the original wharves
which were constructed. The present estimate has been arrived at by applying a figure per square foot,
deduced from the known cost of the wharves recently constructed. It includes all labour and material
but not the cost of freight on material imported from Great Britain. The estimate for equipment repre-
sents in a few cases the actual invoice price; in others it is based on catalogue prices, without any
addition being made for freight. The cost of the 33 machines for handling and stacking cargo and 900
feet portable belt conveyor ordered from England and believed to be on the way is not known, and no
estimate can be framed of their cost from price lists. The cost of railway materials in the lay-out behind
the wharves is not included. This material was supplied by the Railway Directorate.
The following is an abstract of the estimated cost of wharves and equipment:-
Rs. £
Deep sea wharves - - • - • - - - - - ... 52,54,000 (350,266)
River wharves - - - - - - - - - - ... 7,49,440 (49,963)
Semaphore station, Fao bar .. - - - - - - - - 87,500 (5,833)
Wharf equipment (cranes) . . - - - - • - ... 10,74,900 (71,660)
Construction depôt with plant - - - - - - ... 5,33,000 (35,533)
76,98,840 (513,255)


41
For reasons given in paragraphs 73 and 76 respectively the summary does not include any suggestions
for recoveries to be made for steamers and other craft of the Inland Water Transport fleet which may
be purchased by the civil authorities, or for the railway systems in Mesopotamia. I am directed to report
how civil funds can currently or eventually bear such charges. I have been informed by the acting
Civil Commissioner that no budget has yet been prepared of the revenue and expenditure of the occupied
territory for the current year. The net receipts for 1915–16 were £130,000: for 1916–17 £270,000,
and for 1917–18 £100,000, according to the telegram from the Government of India to the Secretary of
State for India of the 5th February 1918. It is evident from these figures that the civil administration
is not likely, at an early date, to be able to pay the bill set out above. In his letter No. 18791 of the 8th
September last to the Chief of the General Staff at Baghdad, Lieut.-Colonel Wilson wrote, “I am assuming
that, in the case of railways, works, power plant and other assets of the kind erected in the country and
required for post-war purposes, they will be assessed and handed over at a valuation to the civil adminis-
tration, which will hand over to the Treasury an equivalent of Mesopotamian Bonds in lieu thereof,
the interest and sinking fund on which will be payable annually. An arrangement of this nature seems
to be the only one to meet the case; details of it will depend on the status which the Peace Conference
may assign to Mesopotamia in the future.”
Financial Control over Agricultural and Irrigation Schemes.
82. I am directed to make recommendations to secure, as far as possible, that adequate local business
control and supervision are maintained on behalf of the Imperial Government over expenditure on the
schemes for Irrigation and Agriculture. -
The Financial Adviser, who had to deal with this expenditure, was an officer of the Military Accounts
Department, and it is not an easy matter for any financial authority, who has not had administrative or
revenue experience among Eastern peoples, to give an opinion on projects for the extension of irrigation
and the encouragement of cultivation such as were embodied in the schemes for 1918 and 1919.
The Agricultural Development Scheme prepared by Mr. Garbett in 1918 was not preceded by any
elaborate financial examination of details. Indeed, since it was only drawn up in July, 1917, and since
sowings for the Spring harvest of 1918 were timed to begin on 15th September, it is patent that if the
results aimed at were to be achieved, no laborious examination of these details could be attempted, the
success of the scheme depending on immediate arrangements being made to procure the necessary seed,
to put in hand the cleaning of the canals to be utilized, and to arrange for advances to cultivators. The
original scheme contemplated an expenditure of £300,000 to be treated as recoverable advances, and
the only out-of-pocket expenses involved in it were such proportions of the advances as might prove
to be irrecoverable, and the salaries of the very small staff specially engaged for the scheme.
As has been stated in paragraph 8, the committee which examined the scheme added to the estimated
expenditure the sum of £100,000 for miscellaneous expenses. The figures stated above were then regarded
by the Financial Adviser as a Budget which could not be exceeded without further sanction. No returns
of expenditure seem to have been submitted to the Financial Adviser. The expenditure had been
authorized, and, as the sanctioned estimates were not exceeded, no further financial control was exercised
over the Administrator's expenditure. The scheme eventuated, as has already been stated, in a loss
of £21,436.
It has been noticed (paragraph 30) that the estimates of 1919 seem to have been in some respects
based on imperfectly ascertained data. The estimates finally sent in on the 22nd April were described
as being rough estimates, subject to further modification as occasion might arise. The figures have
not been modified, and have been regarded by the Financial Adviser as definite figures sanctioned by
the War Office. - -
In order to secure that the accounts of the scheme should be fully maintained, the Commander-in-
Chief in India, in the Quartermaster-General’s letter of the 27th May, 1918 [Appendix XIII.], insisted that
the Financial Adviser should keep in constant touch with the progress of operations, his primary object
being to assist in securing that expenditure should be limited to immediate food development. It was
ordered that a member of the Financial Adviser's staff should be placed at the disposal of the Board of
Agriculture for the purpose of keeping a financial record. Complete and accurate accounts of all opera-
tions were to be submitted in the first instance by the disbursing and receiving officers to this special
Accounts Officer. His duty was to compile these accounts in an approved form for the Field Controller
of Military Supply Accounts. The Financial Adviser was himself directed to submit a quarterly review
of expenditure connected with the scheme. For the purpose of this review special forms of accounts,
exhibiting under the accepted heads of charge the expenditure of the Directors of Agriculture and
Irrigation, were prepared by the Financial Adviser, and approved by the Board of Agriculture and
the Government of India. In the case of the Director of Irrigation a complete schedule of expenditure
on (1) Government canals, (2) Tapu (private) canals, (3) Protective works, (4) Communications, (5) Build-
ings, (6) Miscellaneous petty repairs or construction, (7) General, including executive, superintendence
and direction charges, was prescribed.
The account required in the case of the Director of Agriculture was limited to the expenditure on
Dairy Farms, Grass and Fodder Farms, Demonstration Farms, Establishment, Directorate, Office
Contingencies, and Transport, these being the heads of charge under the immediate control of the Director
of Agriculture.
The financial results in both the Irrigation and Agricultural branches of the scheme for 1919 are
alike in that the present estimate of expenditure falls below the original estimate under almost every
separate head.
(C 1935) F


53
APPENDIX XIV.
NoTE of AUDIT OFFICER ON IRRIGATION ExPENDITURE, 1919.
The figures below indicate “Labour Directorate” costs notified to end of September; Irrigation
Directorate Cash expenditure to end October (audited) plus figures for November (received but not finally
audited). The figures in this statement include Works and Work-charged Establishment only.
Estimated by Estimated by Expenditure
- Mr. Ward. Irrigation. to date.
New Works, Extensions and Im- Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs.
provements—
Euphrates Canals... • * * • * * 21,02 9,30
Tigris Canals - - - • * * - - - 19,63 17
– 40,65
Euphrates Protection ... - - - 12,58 14,65
Tigris Protection ... - - - - - - 3,85 3,53
* — 16,43
Miscellaneous Petty Works, not
detailed—
Euphrates - - - - - - - - - 2,30
Tigris * - - - - - - - - - - 2,00
— 4,30
83,00 (£553,334) 61,38 (£409,300)
Roads—-
Euphrates - - - - - - - - - 5,02 4,30
Tigris • * * - - - - - - - - - 5,00 Nil
– 5,02
Buildings—
Euphrates - - - - - - - * * 5,00 2,92 3,08
–– 2,92
Total, New Works all sorts ... 93,00 (£620,000) 69,32 (£462,133) 35,03 (£233,533)
Maintenance and Work charged
Establishment—
Euphrates Canals... - - - - - - 14,91 1,64
Tigris Canals - - - - - - - - - 2,50 11
Euphrates Protection ... - - - 2,10 *11
Tigris Protection ... - - - - - - 1,00 14
– 20,51
Euphrates roads ... - - - - - - 3,68 1,05
Euphrates buildings ... - - - 4,56 47
— 8,24
Total maintenance • - - - - 30,00 (£200,000) 28,75 (£191,667) 3,52
Grand total for works ... ... 1,23,00 (£820,000) 98,07 (£653,800) 38.55 (£257,000)
There are known debits to be
added:–
Stores from E.F. Park - - - 4,50
Miscellaneous small items ... 1,33
Total ... ... 44,38 (£295,866)
N.B.—Of the charges for buildings there is shown Rs. 74,000 for construction and Rs. 17,000 for main-
tenance of buildings classed as Military.
Engineer Field Park notify me that they have still further items to be debited. The “Labour” costs
(which have been heavy) are to be ascertained from end of September to date. I am not in any position to
forecast what these will yet amount to.
The cash demand notified by the District Irrigation Officers for the months of December, January and
February amounts to Rs. 15,40.
4. The figure of Rs. 38,55 (£257,000) above includes Rs. 14,41 (£96,066) for debits notified as having
been incurred by the Labour Directorate, up to the 30th September, which the Director accepts. This leaves
the Irrigation expenditure proper as Rs.24,14 (£160,934) for the eight months April to September. Assuming
that work will continue at the same average rate of expenditure; assuming that “Labour” debits for the last
half of the year will be about 50 per cent. more than in the first half; assuming also that “Park” has notified
only half of the total amount debitable to Irrigation (“Park” has been supplying stores since April, but has only
begun to send in bills in the last ten days or so, and I have not yet been able to get these verified in the