File 3142/1903 'Hedjaz Railway' [‎25r] (56/488)

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EASTERN SANITARY REFORMS. /£
CONFIDENTIAL.
488]
[December 14.]
Sir G. Lowther to Sir Edward Grey.—(Received December 14.)
Section 1.
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(No. 186. Commercial.)
Sir, Constantinople, December 4, 1908.
I HAVE the honour to forward herewith two despatches from the British
Delegate on the Board of Health with regard to the sanitary defence of the Hediaz
Hailway.
I have, &c.
(Signed) GERARD LOWTHER.
Inclosure 1 in No. 1.
Dr. Clemow to Sir G. Lowther.
(No. 150.)
Sir, Constantinople, November 28, 1908.
WITH reference to previous correspondence on the subject of the sanitary
defence of the Hedjaz Railway, I have the honour to report further as follows :—
Recently M. Gaudin, the Directeur de TExploitation ” of the railway, spent
some time in Constantinople, and advantage was taken of his presence to further the
wish of the Board of Health to insure the co-operation of the railway authorities in
the creation and working of the proposed lazaret at Tebuk. M. Gaudin drew up a
note on the principal points involved, and expressed the fullest readiness on the part
of his department to co-operate with the sanitary administration in this matter. Based
to some extent on this and on the result of several interviews and conversations, it was
decided to embody in a Memorandum, the main points on which the co-operation of
the railway was desired, and this Memorandum was presented to the Grand Vizier
on the 10th October. Copies of the Memorandum are inclosed herewith.* The
principal points are summarized at the end; they are ten in number. The first
—the most important—deals with the proposal to levy a surcharge on the price of
tickets to cover the loss (in interest from investments in public funds) which the
Board would incur if it advanced the £ T. 150,000 to the Government for the
construction of the permanent lazaret. It was suggested that this surtax might be
fixed at 25 piastres a-head, and the railway was asked, in the hypothetical event of
the advance being made, whether ifc would consent to collect such a tax. The
remaining points dealt in some detail with the desired co-operation of the railway in
the matter of the collection of the quarantine dues, and in generally aiding in
the erection both of the temporary and permanent lazarets, and in the effective
working of the system of sanitary defence proposed.
Since the date mentioned no reply was received until Tuesday last, when a
Tezkere from the Grand Vizier, copy of which is inclosed herewith,* was read to
the Board. This Tezkere states that an trade has sanctioned the proposals of
the Council of Ministers, approving those of the Board of Health concerning the
erection of the lazaret at Tebuk, and adds that the Hedjaz Railway Commission has
been instructed to do what is required to aid the sanitary authorities. The Grand
Vizier also states that the future lazaret, “ devant etre construit avec Targenfc a avancer
au Gouvernement Imperial,” will naturally be the property of the State, and adds that
the Council of Ministers approves the proposed tax of 25 piastres “ a imposer a chaque
pelerin pour faire face aux depenses de construction du lazaret,” on condition that
indigent pilgrims are exempted from the tax.
There are some inaccuracies of statement in this document to which I shall
recur later.
The Board decided to adjourn definite action in this matter, and to refer the
Tezkere to the Lazarets Committee. Satisfaction was, however, felt at the readiness
of the Railway Commission and the Government to aid in the work in question.
* Not printed.
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