'Report on the Development of Mesopotamia with Special Reference to the Regeneration of the River Systems' [‎19] (25/50)

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tlie least silt but at least tliree months' soakage. The Arab system, at the cost of
perhaps ten times the normal amount of water, does away with the need for plough
ing and if Arab figures of 150 to SoO^jelas " to the "gubala" are reliable results
in an outturn equal to the best irrigated paddy.
The slow velocity of my restricted supply passing down the large channels of
the old system caused it to drop all its silt before reaching the fields ; whilst, at the
same time, the local marshes deprived of the flood waters did not rise to their usual
height. Doubtless an excellent crop could be obtained by flooding the country,
field by field, and ploughing it up before sowing, as is done in all other rice growing
countries ; but unfortunately the tribe concerned had never ploughed, whilst the
horse-drawn single-tooth plough available locally was unsuited to ploughing in
water.
With any organized irrigation system it will be impossible to give the Arabs
the quantity of water they now think necessary, nor will it be so fully laden with
silt, and they will perforce have to adapt themselves to modern methods.
(h) NAVIGATION ON THE TIGRIS.
(41) Navigation for commercial purposes cannot be said ever to have had
either a fair trial or fairplay. The Mesopotamia Commission in an appendix to
their report have given a brief resume of events from the arrangement of 1846,
whereby British merchant vessels were given the right to navigate the Meso-
potamian rivers, up to the signed but not ratified convention of 1913-14 which
gave exclusive rights of navigation to a joint Anglo-Ottomon company. Prior
to the war the maintenance of an efficient river service between Baghdad and
Basra, as a British monopoly and controlled by a British company, was considered
of the utmost importance to British trade ; as it was feared that if the Baghdad
Railway Company got a footing on the river, their policy would be to put an end to
our competition in the interest of the railway. There was also apprehension that
Sir William Willcocks's irrigation projects would automatically cause the sus
pension of navigation between the months of August and October inclusive, as
the needs of irrigation would take up almost all the water, '
The British Resident in Baghdad took the view that even if measures were
taken to ensure that the navigation of the Euphrates should not be imperilled by
irrigation schemes, still there would be little prospect of steam navigation on that
river surviving competition with the railway. He pointed out: that the distance
by railway between Baghdad and Basra would be about 325 miles ; as against
540 miles by river; that the ascent of the river by steamer would take five days, as
against one day by rail; that communication by rail would be daily and regular, and
by steamer uncertain and interrupted ; that the railway would be able both to
collect exports and distribute imports with greater facility than by steamer, if short
feeder branches were constructed, and that by railing goods direct from Basra,
transfer from boat to rail for onward despatch to Persia via Khanyken would b«
avoided ; and, finally, that the position of the guarantee would enable the railway
to kill the steamer traffic by adopting low and unpaying freights in the beginning.
(42) The position is now materially changed, because it is to be presumed that
the railway from Basra to Baghdad when made will be a purely British concern
lue question may. therefore, be considered under the following heads r—
(i) Whether, having regard to irrigation projects, there would be a navigable
river.
(i) Vv hether, from the commercial point of view, river transport can compete
with a railway.