File 788/1919 Pt 3 ‘MESOPOTAMIA Disposal of River Craft’ [‎578r] (920/929)

I
SECRET.
Pol. 1745/19.
!. 31%,
Mesopotamia: Disposal of Rivex-craft.
tit'
tlie India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. on the
of surpJns rivereraft in
r
ian Civil
t ^ inter-departmental Conference was held
hth April I d Jj to discnss the question of the dis
Mesopotamia. The following were present: —-
Si a Thomas Holder ness (in the Chair).
h pATh v' h " 'Wp- Civil Commissioner, Mesopotamia.
CAriAiN J. V. Urett, War Office.
Captain Jackson, Inland Whiter Transport.
Captain Harris, Ministry of Supply.
Major H. \V. Young, Foreign Office.
Mr. J. E. Siiuckburgii, India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. .
2.. Colonel Wilson explained hrielly the objects which the Mesopotam
Aclimmstiation have m view in this connection. They are as follows •
(!') i' 0 ensure. that :rivercraft, if disposed of locally, should not come into the
possession of other than British or local firms ; such firms being required
to.guarantee that at least 75 per cent, of their holdings are owned by
British or local subjects.
(_) l hat no action should be taken that would confer, or might be interpreted as
conferring, a monopoly upon a single individual or firm, or that could
give, use to complaints at the present juncture of the exclusion of forei°'n
subjects as such.
(o) l.hat Messrs. Lynch Brothers should be permitted to purchase a sufficient
number of ships to bring their fleet up to its pre-war standard, and that
for this purpose the 3 r should — subject to their tenders being satisfactory—
be given the first refusal of the necessary vessels.
(J) l hat Indian shipping firms should be permitted, if they so desire, to
repurchase vessels previously owned by them, and requisitioned by the
military authorities lor service m Mesopotamia, on the understanding
that such vessels will revert, on repurchase, to their original use.
(5) That, in the interests both of the revival of British trade and of the demobili
sation of Inland Whiter Transport personnel, as many vessels as possible
should be released forthwith.
O. Colonel Wilson went on to make certain specific recommendations as to the
best means of giving effect to the policy outlined above. He prefaced his remarks by
a description of the constitution, &c., of the “Sales Board ” no.w functioning at
Baghdad. This body was constituted by the General Officer Commanding, Mesopo
tamia, with the approval of Whir Office, to co-ordinate the disposal of surplus
military stores by the various military Departments concerned. It consists of the
heads of all Departments having stores for disposal, under the presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. of the
Director of Ordnance Stores. The Secretary (Lieutenant-Colonel Mackay) is a
specially selected office]’ of commercial experience, who is also Director of Civil Stores,
and works in* the closest co-operation with both the civil and military authorities.
Tire results hitherto attained by the Sales, Board have been highly satisfactory ; sales
have been spread over a wide area according to local needs, and, as a consequence,
excellent prices have been realised. Owing apparently to doubts as to the procedure
to be followed, rivercraft have not hitherto been included in the Board’s sphere of
operations.
4. Colonel Wilson’s specific recommendations were as follows :—
(а) All rivercraft declared by the military authorities to be surplus to military
requirements should be reported at once to the Sales Board, Baghdad.
(б) The Sales Board should be authorised to dispose by sale of all such craft us
may be reported to them, calling for sealed tenders in the case of large
vessels, but with discretion to sell small craft by auction if considered
desirable.
S 32 30 4'19

File 788/1919 Pt 3 ‘MESOPOTAMIA Disposal of River Craft’ [‎578r] (920/929)

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File 788/1919 Pt 3 ‘MESOPOTAMIA Disposal of River Craft’ [‎578r] (920/929)

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