File 788/1919 Pt 4 ‘MESOPOTAMIA DISPOSAL OF RIVERCRAFT’ [105v] (207/240)
The record is made up of 1 item (119 folios). It was created in 26 Apr 1920-3 Feb 1921. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
Sealed Tenders should be addressed to : —
Commissioner, River Craft Disposals,
c/o The Civil Commissioner,
Baghdad.
or
Commissioner, River Craft Disposals,
c/o Officer Commanding River Area,
I.G.C.’s Office,
Basrah.
(j) The Commissioner Ministry of Munitions Disposal Board or any
Authority whom he may represent does not bind himself to accept
the lowest, highest or any tender.
(k) All tenders will be considered as accepting the foregoing condi
tions.
The undersigned will be at the River Front Hotel Basrah, on March
10th for the purpose of closing tenders.
JOHN de GREY, Lieut.-Colonel,
Commissioner,
Ministry of Munitions Disposal Board.
Telegram—Code (Pty.)
From—Secretary of State for India, London.
To—Civil Commissioner, Baghdad.
No. Nil.
Dated 27th, received 28th February, 1920.
* * * * *
Fourthly .—I should be glad of early reply to question asked in my tele
gram, dated January 31st, regarding cost of maintenance of river craft.' It
is important for the purpose of discussion with Treasury that I should be
furnished with approximate figures as soon as possible.
Telegram.—
From—Civil Commissioner, Baghdad.
To—India Office, London.
No. 2852.
Dated 2nd March, 1920.
Your telegram of 27th February, para. 4.
Further examination ma^e of effect of transfer of Inland Water Trans-
T°f Srt 1 sl L owed th f t real of Proposals as put forward by Director
r 194 J^ h i’ whi ^’ b y tlle exercise economy,
, • be reduced to 169
lakhs
One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
. This figure includes recoverable expenditure
" fV 9
lakhs
One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
- Net co . s \ to clvl1 90
lakhs
One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
, of which 33
lakhs
One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
repre
sent an existing charge, viz., civil transportation pool.
t,.w. :!l, aC r C0 ! mt i 0 i ,leav y expeI,d itu r e involved, it has been decided not to
^1° T i lan , d Water Transport, but to restrict ourselves to following ser-
Mces, viz., bridges, dredging, civil transportation pool, and to contract for
carriage of civil stores. Net cost of these as reduced by strict economies is
of^tores 5 b 1 v k conti re + dg b lg f 1 ? l^ 8 ’ trans P ortatio11 33
lakhs
One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
, and carriage
mental
agency
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
1 ^ 5 ^ agaiI1St 8
lakhs
One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
P robable cost of depart-
Total new expenditure involved is therefore about 20
lakhs
One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
and efforts
are being made to reduce existing charge for transportation pool.
Effect of above arrangements will be to reduce also cost of military fleet,
owing to decrease m administrative charges.' y
About this item
- Content
This part concerns the disposal of river craft in Mesopotamia and contains material relating to:
- The arrangements made by Lord Inchcape [James Lyle MacKay], of the Euphrates and Tigris Steam Navigation Company Limited, with the Ministry of Munitions towards the purchase of the Government’s surplus river craft in Mesopotamia
- The vessels purchased by the Euphrates and Tigris Steam Navigation Company from the Government through financial arrangements in Bombay [Mumbai], from March to August 1920
- The transfer of the Inland Water Transport Department in Mesopotamia from military to civilian authorities, and the amount of military transportation vessels to be maintained
- The suggestion of the Secretary of State for India, Edwin Montagu, to the Secretary of State for War, Winston Churchill, that they convince the civilian and military authorities respectively to agree to the sale of the river fleet in Mesopotamia
- The wishes of General James Aylmer Lowthorpe Haldane to retain a portion of the river craft until the railway from Basrah [Basra] to Baghdad has proved its reliability, and consideration that he can carry his supplies by water more cheaply than could be done by possible purchasers
- The criticism of the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, of British Army control over the oil fleet as being ‘uneconomical’, for charging three times that of civilian organisations and railway transportation
- The financial statement of the Ministry of Munitions to Parliament on the ‘Disposal of Surplus Government Property’, together with a ‘Memorandum on Disposals’ (ff 40-47)
- The schedules of the Inland Water Transport Headquarters, Basrah, for fitting out and delivering the vessels to Keti Bandar, Calcutta [Kolkata] and Rangoon [Yangon] (ff 34-37)
- The shortage of personnel in the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force to make the arrangements for the delivery of vessels to the Euphrates and Tigris Steam Navigation Company
- The observation by the War Office that it would entail an actual loss to make the vessels (all but nine) seaworthy and deliver them to Lord Inchcape under the stipulations
- The responsibility for policing inland waterways in Mesopotamia and the possible takeover, by civil authorities, of four armed gunboats on loan from the Admiralty
- The ‘non-delivery’ of river craft to the Euphrates and Tigris Steam Navigation Company due to the change in the military’s position
- The reluctance of British military authorities in Mesopotamia to place river transport solely under private control, in case of a possible emergency in Government transportation.
- Extent and format
- 1 item (119 folios)
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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- Title
- File 788/1919 Pt 4 ‘MESOPOTAMIA DISPOSAL OF RIVERCRAFT’
- Pages
- 3r:4v, 6v:7v, 8v:10v, 11v, 16v:56v, 57ar, 57r:75v, 76v:105v, 106ar, 106r:106v, 107v, 107r, 108r:121v
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