'Reports of administration for 1918 of divisions and districts of the occupied territories in Mesopotamia. Volume I' [‎193r] (390/470)

revenue for the period ending 31st December 1918 as compared with the same
period of 1917 amounts to Rs. 276/4/-.
A proposal has been put before the Revenue Officer to the wholesale dealers
in tobacco. If sanctioned, this will bring in a further sum of Rs. 480/- per annum.
Shopkeepers dealing in tobacco are at present taxed at the rate of Rs. 15/- per
annum. Hawkers are licensed at the rate of Rs. 7 /— per annum.
‘Araq. —Very little ‘araq is sold in Suq. The contractor Ya‘qub al Yahudi
manufactures the liquor in Nasiriyah. Rs. 150/- per mensem is derived from the
sale of this liquor.
Sale of Stamps .—With the abolition of the blockade and permits to travel by
rail, the sale of stamps has fallen considerably.
Tapu.—ln accordance with instructions received from the Revenue Officer,
Basrah, letter No. C. 69, dated 1st December 1917, the copying of sanads was
discontinued. This work was restarted on receipt of orders from the Revenue
Officer, letter No. 939, dated 5th March 1918, on the condition that it was made
clear to all holders of tapu sanads that copies could not be produced as evidence
if the original deeds were lost. Further, that the copying of a deed in no way
implied an admission on the part of Government of the validity of the deed.
The post of Mamur of Tapu, Suq, was abolished from 1st November.
This work is now being done by the Mamur of Tapu, Nasiriyah.
Waqf. —Suq Waqf is a branch of the Waqf Department under the direct
control of the A.P.O., but subject to the supervision and general control of the
Head Waqf Department, Basrah.
The mosques, of which there are three belonging to the Auqaf Department,
are not in good repair. A petition was recently presented by the Sunni community
asking that extensive repairs be carried out on two mosques. I am submitting
a report on this case to the Political Officer. It has, however, already been made
clear to the Sunni community that Government is only administering the
property, and that it will only assist if it is clear that Waqf funds will not meet
expenditures.
A statement of income and expenditure of Waqf property is attached, see
Appendix D. In all there is an increase on the income side of Rs. 1,085/10/-
and a slight decrease in expenditure. A sum of Rs. 1,769/4/- has been expended
on construction of mud walls round the following date gardens :—
(1) Bustan Fatimah.
(2) Bustan al Jazrah.
(3) Shuwailish.
(4) Al ‘Aquli.
Compensation. —The amount of compensation paid from this office for the
period 1st April to 31st December 1918 :—
Rs.
Debitable to Military estimates - - - - 1,700
,, Civil Revenues ------ 295
„ Municipal „ 820
Total - - - 2,815
Compensation for trees, &c., cut down in connection with the Hammar Lake
dredging operations is estimated at Rs. 25,000/-.
3. Irrigation. —The principal work of this year has been the Hammar Lake
dredging operations. This is a military work, and is being carried out by the
Conservancy and Reclamation Department of the Inland Water Transport. The
importance of this work, which has opened up a navigable channel from Basrah
to Nasiriyah, has already been dwelt upon. I am not competent to touch upon
anything but the physical features of this work. Briefly, the length of the new
channel, in Suq district alone, is about 10 miles, the width is about 170 feet and
the average depth 10 feet. The distance of the “ dry cut ” still undredged is about
one mile,'and it is expected that the work will take another month before reaching
Bani Said. Another dredger, named the “ Quorra,” is now starting to cut her way in
from Bani Sa‘id. The object of this is, I understand, to enable the junction of the
new channel with the Euphrates to be made gradually and so give the river above
Bani Sa‘id time to adjust itself to the altered conditions.