'Reports of administration for 1918 of divisions and districts of the occupied territories in Mesopotamia. Volume I' [‎92r] (188/470)

Hadhrat al ‘Abbas at Karbala, or the local saint Abn Jasim. The oath on the Quran
seems almost unknown.
Practically all cases in which both parties are tribesmen are referred to tribal
decision.
The following is a classification of suits filed, April—November 1918 :—
Class of Suit.
Heard by.
Number.
Recovery of debts -
A.P.O.
462
Arbitrators
21
Possession of land - - - -
A.P.O.
59
Maintenance and personal status
Shara‘
94
Inheritance
Shara‘
19
655
The above does not include disputes as to tenancy on Government land,
which are settled executively, nor some 200 cases referred for tribal decision.
The numbers appear large, but most cases involve little more than the issue of a
summons and judgment by consent.
Court fees have been collected since May, I fear, on a rough and ready system.
The sum realised from May to November was Rs. 1,757/12/0. People are so well
off that the collection of court fees is no deterrent to litigation.
Criminal Justice .—Statistics of criminal cases are not worth elaborate
discussion.
From March to November convictions were as follows :—
(1) Homicide -------1
(2) Attempted murder - - - - - 1
(3) Theft 24
(4) Being in possession of Government property - - 13
(5) Cheating -------3
(6) Offences by officials in their official capacity - - 10
(7) Being of suspicious or bad character (includes security) - 11
(8) Miscellaneous and minor offences - - - 53
116
Most cases were quite clear, except those in which Government officials were
concerned.
7. Education. —There is as yet no school in Musaiyib. The Director of
Education states that he cannot send a teacher, but has consented to grant an
allowance to Kamil Effendi Khatib of the Sunni Mosque, who is competent to
give simple instruction.
It is hoped that a school will be opened early in 1919.
8. Medical and Sanitation. —A dispensary was opened early in June. The
staff consists of a doctor of the Turkish Medical Service and a pharmacist. The
institution is extremely popular. There is no accommodation for in-patients; it
is not, in my opinion, necessary at the present stage. Fees are not charged, but
voluntary subscriptions are invited in vain.
9. Police. —Nil.
10. Shabanah. —Are under A.P.O. Commanding Shabanah, Hillah.
H Labour. The demand for labour lies heavy on town and country alike
in this district. , , i ^ i i
In the town the difficulty is that the trading class is large and the labouring
class small. We are also surfeited with departments. A labour officer was stationed
in the town in the spring; he placed the apportionment of labour between departments
and the wages paid on business footing, but disturbed the almost patriarchal relations
which previously existed between departmental officers and the men they employed-
in fact there was too much “ damned merit ” about the new system to please
departments employing labour. But, from a general point of view, the result was
good, as it put an end to the occasional rate wars between competing departments,
» 10 1162—1 M 3