'Reports of administration for 1918 of divisions and districts of the occupied territories in Mesopotamia. Volume I' [‎24v] (53/470)

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An Officer of the Department of Agriculture has his headquarters at Khaniqin,
and acts both as adviser to all military units in the Division, who grow crops and
vegetables for military consumption, and also assists and advises local farmers in
the provision of seed, implements, &c. He has also instituted controlled farms
and gardens, providing seed and cattle, and supervising throughout the working
and sowing of the land.
A quantity of maize seed from India was provided this year, but the result was
asignal failure. It is attributed partly to bad seed and also to rather late sowing.
The crop grew to a great height, but the cobs did not fertilise.
An experiment was also made with South African maize grown side by side and
under identical conditions to the local variety. The South African variety grows a
much larger cob than the local, but the cobs are not so numerous. The two crops
have been harvested on measured plots, but results of the experiment are not yet
complete.
Settled conditions and adequate provision of seed have enabled the Division
to put the maximum possible under cultivation this winter.
Attached (Appendix No, 4) is a statement showing estimated gross output of
crops m the Division, & 1
4. Municipalities : Khaniqin District .—It is usual for municipalities in ‘Iraq
to start with a considerable deficit, but the Khaniqin municipality was probably
unique in having a monthly deficit of Rs. 12 , 000 /-.
I wo causes contributed to this—the state of starvation, necessitating a monthly
expenditure of Rs. 6,000/- for the Poorhouse, and the state of the town which
required a very large sanitation staff.
/v ^ . 1LSUal mun i c ipal staff were engaged—clerical, watchmen and sanitary—and
a Civil Dispensary and Hospital were opened.
The most acute question to deal with was to feed the people and many deaths
from starvation were occurring daily. J
Major Soane imported wheat from Baghdad, rice from Balad Ruz, and dates
from Ba qubah and Mandah, and put the town and villages on rations. He also
opened the Poorhouse, m which a large number of Kurdish women and children were
fed and housed. Indeed, at one time the numbers rose to over a thousand.
n May an Orphanage was started for the children of parents who died from
starvation or disease.
By the beginning of May, owing to improvement of conditions in the district
it was found possible to return many people to their homes.
It is satisfactory to note that the numbers in the Poorhouse and Orphanage
have been by the end of the year reduced to 70. P nage
17 u e /°? d B V reau ’ which had been Parted when starvation was rampant wa«
enabled to close down at the end of June. rampant, was
Food problems were not, however, at an end, because in August the Jelu
ve 7 r g ° e 'One g M haVe continued to do so for the remainder of the
• 7 . ‘r , e dl fficulties to be contended with constantly was to see not only
that food was provided, but that it was not diverted from its proper course *
abouf Rs^OO 1(36 " St J 1 " r blem t0 be S ° lved ’ as deficit ^ill amounts to
economise staff and to
] f e P 0 P lllatlo n of the town is about 5,000, but there is always a large floating
Lan^the^eceXn a J VidenC ^ by , the existenee of some eight enormou!
iviiaiis ior rne reception of pilgrims and regular caravan traffic.
Turks LdZe^lionTvT/t'hf f W6re rava gecl by the Russians and
Nearlv ty 7 tl ! e buddings are still m a deplorable state of disrepair
tesk, after conditioCLe mTe s^tfe^ to n pTti r0 °f, ° r and ^ wiU be a bi 8
gtate. 1010 fee ttfed, to put the town once more into a decent
mostaS c “huS isrL™ RtfiC 0 f 7 T P ° rt and Aerials, the
10 is to keep it m a state of outward cleanliness.
I,™"”.!' " * “** of «** “•**"<*-tout
"JZfiZXlZZ BSTi/ZSi “ w “ “ “*
felt thn'effects 1 of'waf les S P prob^bK ° f r 0 a ii S ^ ng t0 Mandali has
s, probably, than any other Diwn in Mesopotamia. It is