File 3846/1910 'Mesopotamia: Baghdad affairs. Miscellaneous.' [‎133r] (274/536)

{This Doc ament is the Property of His B ritannic Majesty’s Got ennaeiit.j
ASIATIC TURKEY AND ARABIA.
[October 31.]
CONFIDENTIAL.
GNOV1910
Section 7.
[39452]
No. 1 .
/Sir G. Lowther to Sir Edward Grey.-—(Received October 31.)
(No. 756.) >
® 11 5 ^ Constantinople, October 21, 1910.
Vv 11 H reference t 0> my despatch Neb 751 of the 19th instant.. I have the
honour to forward herewith copy of a ?iote verbale addressed to the Sublime Porte
on the subject of the closing' of the ice factories at Bagdad beloiming to British
Indian subjects by the Bagdad local authorities.
I have, &c.
GEBARD LOWTHER.
Enclosure in No. 1.
Note verbale communicated to Sublime Porte.
HIS Britannic Majesty’s Embassy has the honour to draw the attention of the
Sublime Porte to the following case, which has already formed the subject of
conversations between His Majesty’s Ambassador and his Excellency the Minister for
Foreign Affairs.
About the middle of July last an order was issued by the municipal authorities
of Bagdad decreeing that ice was to be sold at a rate not exceeding 10 paras per
kilogramme. Considering that previous to this date ice had fetched as much as
40 paras, and in summer even 50 and 60 paras per kilogramme, the price fixed by
this new order was entirely arbitrary, and, moreover, it does not appear that ice
comes under the category of necessary articles of food for which the municipality
has any right to fix a price under the Law of Provincial Municipalities.
As the Sublime Porte are no doubt aware, there are at Bagdad two ice factories
owned by the British Indian subjects, Messrs. Abdul Ali. The Bagdad authorities
proceeded to try and force these merchants to sell their ice at the price now fixed.
Failing in this attempt they approached His Majesty’s consul-general at Bagdad to
co-operate with them in forcing Messrs. Abdul Ali to close their factories altogether as
contravening the terms of the law of 1864, which is, however, concerned with steam-
engines and boilers only, whereas the ice factories in question are run by smokeless
and non-dangerous oil-engines. His Majesty’s consul-general was compelled to protest
against any such action, based on a complete misinterpretation of the law, and
referred the authorities to Constantinople, where, it is understood, orders have been
issued for the suspension of proceedings against Abdul Ali pending further consideration
of the case.
In the meanwhile, the losses suffered by the owners of the factories have been
considerable. Calculated at the lowest estimate (i.e., 20 paras per kilogramme) at
which they could have sold their ice during the summer months, the losses sustained by
Messrs. Abdul Ali as a result of the interference with their trade from the 22nd July to
the 14th August, during which period they were compelled to sell 98,781 kilog. at
10 paras each, amount to a sum of £ T. 228, which sum does not of course cover any
subsequent losses that may be incurred. His Majesty’s Embassy is convinced that the
Sublime Porte will admit the injustice of the proceedings of the local authorities at
Bagdad, and it has the honour to request that instructions will be sent to the Bagdad
vilayet to desist from all further attempts to close the ice factories in question and to
indemnify Messrs. Abdul Ali for the losses sustained by them owing to the arbitrary
and illegal action of the authorities.
Pera, October 19, 1910.
[2930 M—7]