'A Précis of the Relations of the British Government with the Tribes and Shaikhs of 'Arabistan By Lieutenant A T Wilson, Acting Consul for Arabistan' [‎39v] (83/143)

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of The barman > Then discussing his rights in the matter with Lieutenant
Lorimer Nor was this point noticed by His Majesty s Government, although
a copy of the list of requests of His Excellency the Mu izz-es-Saltaneh to-
o-ethcr with the replies of the Persian Government thereto, had been for
warded by His Majesty’s Legation to the Foreign Office under cover o
despatch No. 137 of 8th October 1902.
It is important to emphasise the effect of this upon subsequent negotia
tions. Had the British Government been aware of the very definite rights of
the Shaikh in the matter, it is probable that they would have taken a muc
stronger line in the matter basing their claim to intervene on the fact that the
farmln granting the lands east of the Karun formed an essential part of the
compromise between the Shaikh and the Persian Government whereby the
latter were enabled to establish Customs Houses in the territories of the
former to which the British Government were a party.
Bv February 1905, Major Morton had come to the conclusion that the ,
maintaining of navigation on the Lower Karun is likely to conflict seriously
with the success of an irrigation scheme for the Karun at Ahwaz, and that
either one or the other should be upheld.” The Karun was, he said, at its
lowest level at a time when water was most needed for summer crops such a 3
cotton, sugarcane and indigo.
“If an irrigation scheme were to come into operation at Ahwaz it
appears that not only would the present service of steamers be unable to cope
with the traffic but that it would be essential to see that navigation was no
interfered with at a moment when water is most needed for the crops.
In his final report in August 1907, he modified this opinion to the extent
of asserting the practicability of a scheme which left a minimum °f water
in the river sufficient for the needs of navigation, but on the whole his hr^t
views quoted above which Sir W. Willcocks, in 1909, fully endorsed, may
probably be taken as representing the true state of things more correctly.
Van Roggen’s scheme, which Major Morton was called upon to criticise,
may be briefly outlined as follows :—Total cost 2^ million ster ing, >
acres to be irrigated, divided into 24 blocks of 3,500 acres, one such block to
be brought under cultivation each year until all were m use : of each block
2,500 acres would be available for cultivation. Water to be supplied from a
dam and river across the rapids at Ahwaz. The main, subsidiary ana
distributing channels to be also reservoirs for storing water in the season of
low river. Three crops a year to be obtained. No water to be taken from
the river from June to October inclusive, the necessary water being supplied
from the reservoirs mentioned above. The canals in this scheme have there
fore no bed slope, but are simply reservoirs, and as they are laid out symmetri
ca fly on the ground without regard to levels, they must be higher above the
general level of the ground than would otherwise be the case.
Major Morton’s principal criticisms on this scheme may be summarized
as follows :—
Van Roggen’s proposal was to raise the water 4' above high flood level by
a dam : he had however, taken no steps towards designing such a dam and
had not made the necessary investigations to ascertain if it be possible or not. 1 2
1 See App. IX-
2 List of requests of the Mu’lzz-es-Saltaneh, July 1902 : —
R.rtract.—(4>) That the Karun lands to the east which are included in Mohammerah territory and are a
place of cultivation of the tribe and clans of this humble servant should be granted to him as property m the
same way as the Karun lands to the west opposite these were granted to the Nizam-es-Saltaneh, and he (the
Sh«ikh) will of his own accord give a present for them. The land tax will be paid as formerly.
Ansiver of the Persian G-overnment to the above request. —(a) * * * "‘in regard to this a
separate farman of H. I. M. has been issued. {Vide App. 10.)
» Vide assurances of Sir A. Hardinge to Shaikh, of December 1902 (App. 6) and July 1903.