'Mesopotamian Transport Commission. Report of the Commission Appointed by the Government of India with the Approval of the Right Hon'ble The Secretary of State for India, to Enquire into Questions Connected with the Organisation and Administration of the Railway and River Transport in Mesopotamia' [‎12r] (23/114)

13
It is essential that the Director should be in close touch with the General Staff
in order that he may be in a position not only to obtain early and timely advice of
what the railways will be expected to do, but further to be consulted when plans
of operations are being framed, and if necessary, to have them modified whilst they
are still maturing so that they may be in conformity with the capabilities of the
railways.
The existing organisation is undoubtedly a growth and not a preconceived sys
tem. Such growths are nearly always bound to occur under the rapid changes inci
dental to war conditions where developments arises in unforeseen directions at short
notice. It has to be adapted to the personalities of the individuals employed.
Such growths, however, require periodical revision and it would appear that
a suitable time has now arrived.
63. Amongst the anomalies at present may be pointed out the fact that the
boundaries of the various departments are not coterminous, i.e., there is one Traffic
Manager of the whole system but two Locomotive Superintendents; one of these
controls the Locomotive working of all metre and 2' 6" lines (including the line
from Baqubah to Table Mountain, although he is stationed at Basra); and the other
controls the standard gauge lines and is stationed at Baghdad. Unlike the Traffic
and Locomotive Departments there is no separate head of the Engineering Depart
ment but the Director himself administers engineering questions.
64. We regard the appointment of a member of the Deputy Director's
staff to act as technical adviser to the Inspector General of Communications as
liable to lead to friction, and unsound. In order to give advice to the Inspector-
General of Communications this officer must have technical knowledge in all depart
ments and it is always likely that the Assistant Director, Railway Transport, may
be pressed by the Inspector-General of Communications into giving technical
advice which may not be in accordance with the views of the Deputy Director
who is responsible for carrying out the work. We are of opinion that under the
existing organisation the Deputy Director should be the officer to whom the
Inspector-General of Communications should refer on railway questions.
65. As stated in paragraph 62 above the organisation just described is a
growth. Before the advance to Baghdad the whole of the Railways were centred
on Basra and were suitably worked on the departmental system. When the lines
centring on Baghdad were added, the departmental system became unworkable
and an attempt appears to have been made to graft the divisional system on to it.
66. A certain amount of re-organisation has recently been undertaken and a
scheme has been drawn up for working the Railways on a purely divisional system.
We thoroughly approve of this scheme. Appendices F(l) and F(2) shew details
of the existing organisation and of the proposed Divisional Scheme.
2.—personnel.
(a) Railways;
67. The Divisional scheme outlined in Appendix F (2) has been drawn up The Director of
durino - the present month by Colonel R. Oakes, who has been officiating as Director Railways.
of Railways vice Brigadier-General G. Lubbock, since 14th December, 1917.
68. Appendix F(l) shews that under the existing organisation there are far utilisation of
more officers on the Mesopotamian Railways than on any railway system of the Railway Officers
, i • i i • ' and high rates of
same length, m India. supervision.
We should not compare the Mesopotamian Railways with any old-established
Indian Railway which is fully equipped and ballasted but with a new line which
has been opened for goods traffic at the earliest possible moment.
Even with this proviso the Mesopotamian Railway scale of personnel appear
ed to us to be extravagant; the staff which works oniy 35 or 40 miles of line in
Mesonotamia wou d be considered ample for 80 to 120 miles (-'.e., the length of two
construction divisions) in India.
69. The principal reasons for this difference in the length of districts appear
to be the following ;—
(i) A reserve has to be maintained to provide for the construction of new
lines which may be suddenly demanded by the General Officer
S12y (w)AD