'Reports of administration for 1918 of divisions and districts of the occupied territories in Mesopotamia. Volume I' [‎136r] (276/470)

to Basrah loaded, but returning empty, Government should be able to give considerable
help in the matter of transport.
Coinage .—Early in the year large quantities of Turkish silver and copper coins
appeared in Basrah. Baghdad had put a check on their circulation, and Basrah
merchants bought stocks of them at something like 40 per cent, below par value
and attempted to circulate them at par value in the Basrah markets. This action
caused great discontent, the shopkeepers refusing to take the coin except at a
discount. The Military Governor had to interfere. He ordered that no one should
be compelled to accept the small Turkish coins. The result was a disappearance,
as speedy as their introduction, of these coins from Basrah circulation.
Record of Rights .—In April a “ yoklamah ” of Basrah City began. So far the
Sif quarter has been completed, and the mukhtar of the quarter gave very valuable
assistance.
Oil .—In the early part of the year, owing to the great consumption of oil by
the Government, the price of the commodity in the bazaars rose rapidly. Oil
dealers took to hoarding oil, and it became impossible to purchase oil even at the
rate of Rs. 20/- per tin. The question became almost a crisis. Government
arranged that Messrs. Strick, Scott, and Co. should purchase oil at rates fixed by
Government and should be the sole suppliers at a fixed rate of Rs. 3/4/- per tin to
selected retailers, who, in their turn, were to sell at Government rates.
6. Judicial : (1) Judicial .—The Senior Judicial Officer is submitting separately
a report on the magisterial work which has been conducted under my control as
District Magistrate under the Criminal Procedure Code, and I need not repeat here
what has been dealt with elsewhere. Suffice it to say in general terms that the
people have been of orderly behaviour in town and district and given me no cause
for anxiety.
As Military Governor I tried 43 cases during the year, none of serious nature.
The Deputy Military Governor, ‘Ashar, tried 540 petty cases—drunkenness, being
in possession of Government property, contravention of other military rules, and
breach of licence regulations being the common offences. The Assistant Military
Governor, Basrah, disposed of 231 cases—drunkenness, cruelty to animals, rash
driving, and breach of sanitary rules, being the principal offences. Commandants
of the Military Encampment Areas, who have powers of punishment in respect of
inhabitants of the country, dealt with 224 cases, the common offences being damaging
bunds, being in possession of Government rations, Army clothing, drunkenness,
breach of licence rules, neglect of duty, breach of rules regarding entry in prohibited
area. The total fines collected in the Military Governor’s area was Rs. 27,656/10/-.
In the Basrah Sanjaq the Mudirs have used the magisterial powers with which
they have been invested and have imposed fines to the extent of some Rs. 4,000/—.
As Political Officer I tried and convicted 10 accused and the Assistant Political
Officer, Basrah Sanjaq, tried and convicted 33 persons. The offences were chiefly
against Army labour rules. The Assistant Political Officer, Zubair, tried only two
cases during the year.
Tribal Disputes Regidation .—Two murders occurred in the Fao Nahiyah, and
in both cases the accused absconded into Persia. Two others were committed
near Abul Khasib, and, though full and prompt inquiry was made by both police
and Political Officers, the accused have not been arrested. In one of these cases
it was clear that information was being withheld by the inhabitan^ of the village
concerned, upon whom a heavy collective fine has been imposed. The inhabitants
paid according to their status: a fellah Arabic for ‘peasant’. It was used by British officials to refer to agricultural workers or to members of a social class employed primarily in agricultural labour. Rs. 15/-, a watchman Rs. 30/- a small
mallak Rs. 60/-, a big landowner Rs. 150/-; a total sum of Rs. 9,525/- in all has been
paid. The conditions under which fellahs Arabic for ‘peasant’. It was used by British officials to refer to agricultural workers or to members of a social class employed primarily in agricultural labour. live during the date season in remote
unguarded huts among the palm trees make the committal of such ciimes easy,
and detection extremely difficult. Only one large case of theft occurred, m which
a helium is alleged to have been cut adrift during the night and robbed of Rs. 11,000/-.
No evidence of any kind is forthcoming. „ . u , ,
There has been little tribal crime during the year. Security has been taken
as a preventive measure from several habitual offenders in Harthah and Abul Khasib.
Under the Tribal Civil and Criminal Disputes Regulation (the revised issue of
which is now being followed) 23 cases were registered and 20 cases disposed of.
Most came from the Harthah Nahiyah; 16 cases were referred to a majlis and
settled; four were referred to shara‘. In one an accused (one of the Ma dan tube)