'Reports of administration for 1918 of divisions and districts of the occupied territories in Mesopotamia. Volume I' [‎134v] (273/470)

Municipal Council.—The moment was opportune, for the Basrah Municipal
Council had just come into being. This council as it exists at present requires to
be looked upon as the beginning only of a bolder conception. It comprises eight of
the leading gentlemen of the towns of Basrah and ‘Ashar, selected by the Municipal
Commissioner. The Municipal Commissioner is the President, and the Assistant
Military Governor acts as Secretary. Several council meetings have been held and
various subjects touching the welfare of the municipality discussed. It is interesting
to note how quickly this council found its feet after the first few meetings. At
first they were slow to come forward with suggestions. Each meeting has seen a
great increase in initiative and readiness for debate. This bodes well for the future
of the new council, to come into being on 1st January 1919.
• _ Recommendations.—\i the coming year is to be fruitful of the progress all would
wish to see, the first and most important consideration is that Government should
lose no time in giving expression to their policy regarding the future administration
of the country. Much thought has been expended upon devising schemes for
development on a large scale. Every opportunity has been taken by the Military
Governor to obtain the advice of experts, whenever available, upon the large range
of subjects under the heading of “ development.”
Town planning has been fully discussed, water schemes, drainage, &c.; but
until our policy is clearly defined it is impossible to go beyond the stage of discussion.
Our higher policy once declared, the next step (and the step which most concerns the
subject under reference) will be to come to an early decision regarding the amount in
pounds sterling which will be made available for works. The importance of settling
this point early lies very greatly, I think, in the effect it will have upon the public*
the more generous provision made by Government, the more will the public be
inclined to open their bulging coffers and invest capital in schemes of town develop
ment. Building sites will be eagerly sought, and money will be freely spent in
constructing houses of imposing and beautiful design. Basrah and its 'people are
na ^ anxi ous to spend freely. They are animated with the keenest desire
that then* town should now come forward and take its place as a city of the world to
which its geographical position entitles it.
Extracts from Report by the Assistant Military Governor.
Sartfahs.—There are altogether about 1,859 sarifahs within the municipal
Kut’afnlaT fic’ Tl” 6 ° UtS \ t r e Cit ?-? th6 Villages 0f Akhwat Raznah and
Kut-al-Hajaj &c. The general policy which is being pursued with regard to them
i. that no sarifahs should be a lowed to remain among the buildings of the city but
al sarifahs should be removed and confined to the Hakakah and Mizraq quarters!
.'/■y y-ry 6 . 7 sanfahs were in this way expelled from the city. The sarifah
tax will be dealt with m a later paragraph.
Bazaars. Some work has been done during the year in an endeavour to remove
were 6 roofed Th^roof hT the baZaarS andsho P s - Most of the bazaars in Basrah
were rooted, the root m many cases consisting merely of mats and (m n.n, i
indiscriminately laid on rafters. The Military Governor gave orders for the rJmovS
of the most unsightly of these structures. There is more work to be done in tfi
direction. Basrah possesses only a single bazaar with a more than temporary rorf
The ideas of the architects of the stone-built covered bazaars of ‘Amarah and
Sn^^ortTome 0 ^^ • '* WiU be the w ° rk this adminl
principles of architecture Similarly in the case of shops, an unform size^f shades
wormakLhiftrfkdf piecesTtr d T sho P k fP ers P la “ of the former patch-
a larcre roofed market for me-it n ' ani: a y ie nt gunny bags. Basrah is in need of
a lar e rooiea market tor meat and vegetables and the like. The tvne in use in
country towns in England, with pukha stalls, would appeal to the East™ mind
the M^rtS f 0 the , y ar > a complaint was made by
from glanders and that tt^ ^re suffering
horses? The outcome was that Tfte for ok late 0 ^ S P read 1 11 }g Military
in the ‘Abdul Hasan mahallah, and all public ghaty owttsTn " table . was
were ordered to vacate their private stabler Jtrl W \ n Basrali and Ashar
public stable, where regular inspections cot/d be madtandtuffi ‘“'f 8 ^ f' 8 centr f
Sgt. Favell was put in chargl of this work A number fG C ° ntr £ I e .“ ed -
glanders, & c„ were shot and compensation anmuntingfo Rs. S/-^ptit by.