File 3142/1903 'Hedjaz Railway' [‎18r] (42/488)

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[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty’s Govfeiment.j
EASTERN SANITARY REFORMS. [February 8.]
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CONFIDENTIAL.
[5076]
No. 1.
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Sir G. Lowther to Sir Edward Grey*—(Received February 8.) 'V^ '
(No. 22.) '
Sir, Constantinople, February 1, 1909.
WITH reference to my despatch No. 21 of the 28th ultimo, I have the honour to
forward herewith a despatch from the British Delegate on the Board of Health
furnishing statistics regarding the Tehuk Lazaret.
I have, &c.
(Signed) GEBABD LOWTHER.
Inclosure 1 in No. 1.
Dr. Clemow to Sir G. Lowther.
(No. 19.)
Sir, Constantinople, February 1, 1909.
WITH reference to my despatch No. 16 of the 22nd ultimo, I have the honour
to furnish, as requested, the following information respecting the outlay already
incurred for this year’s temporary lazaret at Tebuk and the probable number of pilgrims
who will return by the Hedjaz Railway this pilgrim season.
The sums already actually spent on the putting up of the temporary lazaret at
Tehuk amount to 671,871*25 piastres or something over £ T. 6,000. This total does
not include the cost of sending from Paris a special employe to mount the pavilions
demontables furnished by a Erench firm, nor many other items, such as the pay of a
large number of workmen sent from Damascus, and so forth. As pointed out in my
despatch No. 68 of the 20th July last, I anticipated that the outlay for the temporary
lazaret would he something between 5,000 and 10,000 liras, and it seems likely that in
the end it will approach the higher of those two figures. On each occasion when fresh
sums have been asked and voted by the Board I have been careful to repeat the reserve
which has from the beginning been a condition of our accepting these advances from
the Board’s funds, namely, that the whole question of the sanitary defence of the
Hedjaz Railway should have formed the subject of an entente between the Porte and
the Powers interested before any works had been undertaken, and that in the event of
any deficit occurring in this new branch of the sanitary service it will be at the charge
of the Ottoman Government.
A statement of the details of the outlay already incurred is inclosed herewith.
The number of pilgrims who may be expected to return this year by the Hedjaz
Railway was estimated, in a telegram recently received from the sanitary officer at
Medina, at about 14,000. (It may be noted, in passing, that the recent reports in the
papers, to the effect that the Bedouins had cut the line between Medina and El Oula,
appear to have been exaggerated; pilgrims are already arriving safely at Tebuk.)
This number of 14,000 will very possibly prove to be exaggerated, particularly in view
of the statements contained in Mr. Consul Devey’s despatch No. 2 of the 2nd ultimo.
In any case (to judge by last year’s experience at Medaini Salih), less than half may
be expected to pay their dues. If only 7,000 pay the 25 piastres surtax, the yield
will he only 175,000 piastres, or rather over £ T. 1,600. The most liberal estimate can
scarcely put it at a higher figure than from £ T. 2,000 to £ T. 2,500; whereas, as stated
above, the outlay incurred for the Tehuk lazaret will be something between 6,000L and
10 , 000 /.
The “quarantine” dues paid in the lazaret by 7,000 pilgrims, for five days
quarantine, would amount to 315,000 piastres. This may possibly cover the cost of
the medical mission to Tebuk, and the working expenses of the lazaret, that is to say,
the expenses which, under existing Conventions and in the case of the maritime
lazarets, would be at the charge of the Board’s funds.
I have, &c.
(Signed) E. G. CLEMOW.
[2170 h —2]
* Copy sent to Local Government Board, February 17, 1909.