File 3142/1903 'Hedjaz Railway' [‎22v] (51/488)

,h ro u B u... , u...
lodge the immense mass, and there w ,,, j | strongly oppose any attempt tc
proposed camp; that the inhabitants of J^j^^thoritierdeclared in January
prevent the pilgrims entering the town; th ^ “°t es of the meeting of the
last that any such attempt wouh ^ C fl na ll yj it is not within the powers of the f
Board of tlie 21st January, 19 ), , m,' cc ^ eme i s in fact, in my opinion,
Board to impose any new taxation of an possibility of unlimited calls
an impracticable and dangerous on . P _ jq 1 gpjft on to those funds expenses
upon the funds of the Board and fBor the past six
which the Government should, undeiexnti 0 ., ncl j regret for every reason, that
months I have successfully combated ^ Proposal, ai f U fr * om a meeting
7 “The 00 ^! -nMain its acceptance by the Board, though only e»
in time 6 your^uthoGtyTo ^Majesty’s Embassy k unable to accept it.
(Signed) ’ F. G. CLEMOW.
Inclosure 2 in No. 1.
Dr. Clemow to Sir G. Lowther.
16 '' 1 Constantinople, January 22, 1909.
ir ’ WITH reference to my despatch No. 11 of the 15th instant, I have the honour to
report that the question of the application of the 25 -piastre surtax on ret -
ini by the Hed]az Bail way was briefly discussed at Tuesday s meeting of the Boaid
Health, and was adjourned for a special meeting summoned for yesterday
Yesterday’s meeting was a prolonged and stormy one. 11 e ice-Biesile
endeavoured to maintain that the Board had full power to take any decision it pleased
even for the creation of new taxation or for any other purpose whatever, bj si p
maiority. This view I successfully combated. After a discussion, which ranged over
many debatable and important points, the following decision was taken :
“ Apres avoir entendn les motions et observations de MM. les Delegues d’Angle-
terre et de Bussie et apres avoir pris en consideration les discussions et decisions du
Conseil a ce sujet, le Conseil partage en principe I’opmion de ces messieurs pour sa
propre incompetence a creer une nouvelle taxe; mais, considerant qu il s agit dans e
cas special d’une contribution provisoire destinee expressement a couvnr les frais
dbnstallation du lazaret provisoire de Tebuk—frais mcombant an Iresor Impena
considerant d’autre part que ce mouvement financier nentre pas dans le Budget
ordinaire des revenus du Conseil, et considerant enfin l urgence de la propbylaxie
sanitaire a etablir sur la nouvelle ligne ferree dn Heajaz, le Conseil mamtient sa
resolution au sujet de commencer la perception de ia contribution des piastres (or)
pour cette annee, et passe a Tordre du jour.”
This decision was the best that it was possible to obtain under the circumstances.
It is satisfactory in that it lays down definitely that the Board is not competent^ to
create new taxation. As first drafted the word ,c sanitaire appeared after taxe in
the phrase, “sa propre iacompetence a creer une nouvelle taxe. 1 obtained its
suppression, and the necessity for doing so was shown by the fact that the Austrian
Delegate then desired that it should be retained, in order, no doubt, that m
the tax he wishes to levy at Jeddah for the proposed pilgrims’ camp—tax to which
the term (i quarantenaire ” or some other adjective might he applied should be
imposed bv simple majority oi the Board. , .
On the other hand, the decision is unsatisfactory m that it leads to a certain
danger of other taxes being imposed in future by the Board under the guise of a
“ contribution,” or some other periphrasis. . , ,
The Bussian Delegate has, under instructions from his Embassy, not only rejected
altogether the decision to apply the tax, but has entered a claim lor the return of all
sums that will thus be gathered from pilgrims of Bussian nationality. Ibis claim,
will have to be dealt with at the end of the season, when the number of such