File 788/1919 Pt 3 ‘MESOPOTAMIA Disposal of River Craft’ [385r] (532/929)
The record is made up of 1 item (482 folios). It was created in 27 Dec 1919-24 Nov 1920. 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. .
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and ocean’. Mr. Montagu has so far expressed no opinion on the
details of the negotiations, and would not propose to do so
.tnout consulting other liepartments concerned; but he sees no
oojection in principle to the negotiations, provided that the
proportion of Government freight allocated to the Euphrates and
-.igris steam navigation Company is not unduly high - a point as
uo v/hieh Mr. Montagu, on the figures given in Colonel Wilsonfs
telegrain feels somev&at doubtful, and vtiich will call for oare-
iul scrutiny if and v/hen the proposals finally come before His
Majesty 1 s Government for approval. If the details of the pro
posed agreement are such as to secure to the administration an
assured supply of tonnage at reasonable rates without giving
unaue preference to the Euphrates and Tigris Company, Mr.
Montagu would be inclined to approve it; and there would be
nothing to prevent similar arrangements with local firms who
could offer the necessary facilities. Mr. Montagu would be
glad to kn|w9) whether, in view of the above observations, Lord
Ourzon considers the circumstances to be such as to make it
desirable to adopt the course indicated in the last
paragraph of your letter - viz. that'the civil administration
should find its transport in t£e open marhet.
With reference to the point raised in the third and
fourth paragraphs of your letter, as to the protection of the
interests of the Basra-Baghdad railway, Mr. Montagu-realises
the importance of this aspect of the matter; but he feels
difficulty in making any suggestion at this stage. It is
perhaps too much to hope that the quantity of goods co be
carried will be sufficient to employ fully both tae railway
and the available rivercraft, and occasion may arise for rate
cutting over the Mesopotamian portion ol through voyages;
but even in that event, it might be difficult for the local
administration to justify in face of local commercial
Interests a policy of limiting the facilities for river
transport in order to strengthen the position of the railway
In his telegram of 11th February,
of which a copy is enclosed,
/
V
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This file concerns the disposal of river craft in Mesopotamia and contains material relating to:
- The opposition of the Civil Commissioner in Baghdad, Colonel Arnold Talbot Wilson, to the proposals of Lord Inchcape [James Lyle MacKay, 1st Earl of Inchcape] for the disposal of river craft in Mesopotamia, on the grounds that it involved ‘unnecessary and undesirable abrogation by [the British] Government of its proper functions in favour of a private individual [Lord Inchcape] ... who is thereby enabled to exercise autocratic power in Mesopotamia’
- The particulars and estimated costs of the Inland Water Transport Fleet to be delivered to Basrah [Basra] and put into commission, the valuation of the Dockyard, and estimated cost of Magil [Al-Ma‘qil] Yard and its associated structures
- The announcement by the Manager of the Mesopotamia-Persia Corporation that if the Euphrates and Tigris Steam Navigation Company were not given a monopoly for the transportation of goods, they would ‘create one by carrying goods for nothing, until they had forced out of business any local firms who were attempting to compete’
- The petition of the merchants of Basrah to the Civil Commissioner in Baghdad to arrange for the sale of the river craft in Basrah instead of Bombay [Mumbai] to provide them with a fair opportunity to purchase some of the vessels
- The opposition of Sir Percy Cox to assurances given to Lynch Brothers, Lord Inchcape and others, rather than a ‘consideration by commission or other specially constituted authority’ for navigation rights on the Tigris and Euphrates
- The plan for the sale of surplus Mesopotamian river craft by Lord Inchcape on behalf of the British Government to take place in Bombay, and the issues relating to the inability of British and native firms from Baghdad to be present at such short notice, as well as the general absence of information about which specific vessels were being offered for sale
- The Inland Water Transport schedules for the barges necessary to carry petrol for post-bellum Army requirements, and the oil barges used for storage at depots (ff 435-439)
- The statement of the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, to the Secretary of State for India on the vessels required for the civil administration of Mesopotamia, with an abstract of applications received from commercial firms for Inland Water Transport river craft (ff 423-431)
- The question of Lord Inchcape and his associates obtaining a legal or practical monopoly over river transportation in Mesopotamia and the position of the British Government
- The conditions set out by Civil Commissioner Baghdad that only ships designated by the Army as being surplus before 10 March 1920 be put up for sale, and the need to ensure equal opportunities for local purchasers with those from Bombay
- The Schedule for Craft required by the Civil Administration, from Brigadier-General Robert Herbert Wilfred Hughes, Director of Inland Water Transport, to the Civil Commissioner Baghdad (ff 316-319)
- The Sub-Committee on Mesopotamian Ports, Surveys and Inland Water Transport’s inter-departmental conference on Middle Eastern Affairs, 16 March 1920
- The information from the Inland Water Transport Office to the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, on pumping installations in connection with oil distribution at various stations (ff 261-269)
- The inter-departmental conference to discuss the disposal of surplus river craft in Mesopotamia, led by the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, and including representatives from the War Office, Inland Water Transport, Ministry of Supply, the Foreign Office, and the 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. , 8 April 1919
- The invitation by the Commissioner, Ministry of Munitions Disposal Board, General Headquarters, at the request of the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, on behalf of Lord Inchcape, of tenders for the purchase of all surplus Government river craft available in Mesopotamia
- The report by Lord Inchcape to Minister of Munitions, Lord Inverforth [Andrew Weir, 1st Baron Inverforth], on his disposal of surplus small craft belonging to the Mesopotamian fleet, 31 March 1920 (ff 159-192)
- The advertisement for the sale of the river craft in the Baghdad Times, the popular response to a rumour about a possible sale to the Lynch Brothers, and the views of the Manager of the River Steamship Company expressed to the British Chamber of Commerce.
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- Title
- File 788/1919 Pt 3 ‘MESOPOTAMIA Disposal of River Craft’
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- 122r:123v, 124v:133v, 134ar:134av, 134r:158v, 192v:193v, 194v:278v, 279ar, 279r:303v, 304ar, 304r:312v, 313ar, 313r:399v, 400v:412v, 414v, 415v, 417v:564v, 565ar, 565r:570v, 571ar, 571r:582v
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