Papers of the Interdepartmental Conference on Middle Eastern Affairs [‎53v] (106/290)

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Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
A fFairs.
(rovemment v.
Company
Management of
Mesopotamian
Kail ways.
Colonisation and
Immigration.
Sir T. Holderness said he thought the matter could not be
decided here, but would have to be discussed further between the
Departments concerned.
The Conference decided to leave the question to Inter-Depat t-
mental discussion.
4. The Conference decided that the discussion of Colonel ilson s
proposals under this head should be postponed.
5 . Colonel Wilson said he mentioned this matter to Lord Curzon
yesterday, suggesting that he himself was in favour of Company
management subject to Government control; on political grounds,
however, there was a strong case for Government management.
Lord Curzon had replied that he was unable to express an opinion
without full consideration, but was on the whole inclined to take the
same view.
General Cox said that the General Staff were in favour of
Government control. Proposals which might be quite sound from
the point of view of a commercial company were often open to
objection on strategic grounds. There seemed to be no doubt that,
for at least some time to come, the railways must remain under
direct Government control.
Colonel Wilson said he wanted guidance. He expected to
receive proposals from companies and firms, and he would like to
know if he was to turn them down ah initio, or if he would be
justified in giving some encouragement to their aspirations. Some
of these companies, he beli^ed, were prepared to take over the whole
system as it stood now and place it on a proper commercial basis,
and from one point of view their offer was certainly very tempting.
General Fadcliffe said the War Office were in favour of Govern
ment management.
The Conference decided that for the present, railways in
Mesopotamia should remain in Government hands, and
that the question of the admission of company management
could not be decided at this juncture.
6 . Colonel Wilson said the Government of India’s latest pro
nouncement on the subject was contained in their telegram of the 21 st
March, 1919, which was before the Conference. The views therein
expressed were what he himself had anticipated, and undoubtedly
represented Indian public opinion.
• Sir T. Iloldemess said that on the question of immigration
Indian opinion was very touchy. If the Indians thought they were
to be excluded from Mesopotamia, they would certainly resent being
sent there for labour purposes.
Mr. Shuckburgh said the view taken by the Eastern Committee
throughout had been that Indian immigrants must not be allowed
to displace indigenous Arab communities.
Colonel Wilson said it followed that development would be
slow. In view of the shortage of labour, machinery would have to
be introduced, and the man-power unobtainable in Mesopotamia
would have to be brought from Persia, Anatolia Peninsula that forms most of modern-day Turkey. , Kurdistan, and
possibly Syria. The policy might be resented because in taking
awav men from these countries we would be depriving them of their
one form of riches—their man-power. There was no doubt, how
ever, that it was consistent with the wishes of the inhabitants of
Mesopotamia that immigration and colonisation of foreigners should