Coll 17/10(1) 'Internal: political situation; relations with HMG' [‎142r] (288/982)

THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY [of ills BRITAJINlI
MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
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EASTERN (Iraq).
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May 5, 1936
CONFIDENTIAL.
Section 3.
[E 2509/1419/93]
(No. 204.)
Sir,
Sir A. Clark Kerr to Mr. Eden.—{Received May 5 .)
Bagdad, April 22, 1936.
WITH reference to my despatch No. 192 of the 16th April concerning the
prorogation of the Iraqi Parliament, I have the honour to submit the followino-
report on the work accomplished by the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies
since the beginning of the present year.
2 . During January both Houses were chiefly occupied in discussing the
budget for the year 19J5-36. As nine months of the year had already passed,
the estimates were little more than stopgap figures, but the accompanying debates
gave members and Ministers opportunities to discuss all aspects of the Govern
ment’s policy. One or two Deputies twitted the Prime Minister for doing
nothing to amend the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of Alliance of 1930, which, while out
of office, he had so scathingly attacked, but Yassin Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. defended himself
vigorously, and his few critics made no impression on the Government’s majority.
3. After disposing of the budget for 1935 Parliament gave its attention
to a large number of Bills dealing with many different branches of administration.
A list of the more important laws passed, with a summary of their purport, is
enclosed herein. The greater part of these have formed the subjects of separate
despatches.
4. Towards the end of March the budget for 1936-37 came before
Parliament, and during the first two weeks of April laws for the ratification
of the Railway Agreement with the United Kingdom and the Treaty of Alliance
with Saudi Arabia were passed. These measures have been fully reported on in
separate despatches.
5. Two other Bills passed at the end of the session, though not of great
administrative importance, were of special interest to His Majesty’s Government.
One of these was the law enabling the British War Graves Agreement to be
brought into force, and the other was a law amending the existing income-tax
law. By the latter law, pensioners resident abroad are no longer liable to taxation
on the pensions they receive from the Iraqi Government, and an attempt has been
made to recast the section dealing with the assessment of non-resident traders so
as to exempt them from taxation upon profits arising from trade with Iraq as
distinct from trade in Iraq. I shall have the honour to address you on these two
subjects when the texts of the two laws appear in the Official Gazette.
' 6 . The session as a whole was busy but not eventful. The Government
maintained its solid majority and, except for one or two members who made a
habit of criticism, it was seldom that a dissenting voice was heard. Two private
members’ resolutions, however-one prohibiting Iraqis from marrying foreigners
and the second abolishing family wakfs-gave rise to spirited debat^ which
were followed with considerable public interest. Both resolutions ™ r e defeated^
but the debates showed that there is a steadily growing o y P P y n
in favour of the extensive reform of social customs y c Persia
such matters the influence of the progressive movemente in Tur^y and Be s^^
can clearly be seen, and the many recent newspaper articles ^ca g 1 g ^
tion to compel the general adoption of European dress no doubt derive Ue
amTndtng a coprofthis despatch to His Majesty’s Charge d’Aiiaires
at Tehran ' ° I have, &c. , 4
(For the Ambassador),
C. H. BATEMAN.
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