"تقرير لمجلس الجيش عن بلاد الرافدين. بقلم السير جون ب. هيويت، قائد فرسان وسام نجمة الهند، وسام فارس الإمبراطورية البريطانية" [ظ‎‎٦] (١١٩/١٧)

6
sets of pumps have been dealt with. Arrangements were also made with Messrs. Strick, Scott & Co.,
acting on behalf of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, whereby oil at an all round rate of 1 rupee (Is. id)
per gallon was made available to the cultivators. This rate has since been reduced to 15 annas (Is. M.)
per gallon.
14. Thus all arrangements had been made for the rapid and early development of the cultivated
area, when further encouragement was given to the scheme by telegraphic instructions received in
December, 1917, from the Army Council by the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, to do all in his
power to develop local resources especially as regards vegetables and cereals, and to give all possible
encouragement to military farms and soldiers’ gardens. These orders insisted on the extreme importance
of saving tonnage by development and utilization of local resources to the utmost.
Meantime scarcity of grain had been, making itself felt, and it had become increasingly difficult
to provide for the civil population. On the 17th November, 1917, a telegram was despatched to India
asking for the monthly despatch to Mesopotamia of 3,000 tons, 50 per cent, wheat, and 25 per cent,
each barley and rice, for the use of the civil population. In January, 1918, the local price of wheat
was Rs. 1120 (£74f) and that of barley Rs. 700 (£46|) per ton. This supply from India continued until
March, 1918.
Expenditure on Irrigation in 1918.
15. The arrangements for extending the facilities for irrigation by means of canals for the spring
harvest of 1918 must now be described. As already mentioned the estimate for the agricultural develop
ment scheme contained no allotment for clearing any but private canals, or for construction of new
ones. This work remained for the time in the hands of the Civil Commissioner, and at first the work of
clearing the canals was directed by the revenue staff. Control was gradually handed over to five British
engineering officers lent to the Army, but it was not till February, 1918, that a Director of Irrigation
was appointed.
On the Tigris no direct work was carried out by official agency, but the reconstruction of an important
dam on the Diyalah, dominated until September by the Turkish guns, was arranged for by Arab labour
through the influence of the Political Officer. The Baqubah canals were also cleared by local agency.
In the Euphrates area an expenditure of Rs. 21,00,000 (£140,000) was contemplated. The actual
expenditure during the financial year 1917 and 1918 was about Rs. 16,25,000 (£108,333). The area
was organized into four districts under a Superintending Engineer. The organization was subsequently
in February, 1918, incorporated, with the addition of three districts, in the Irrigation Directorate.
A sum of Rs. 1,27,179 (£8,479) was expended on repairing damage done to buildings and workshops
by the enemy and on various repairs to the Hindiyah barrage and Hillah canal head.
Work on both the Beni Hasan and Georgiyah canals (paragraph 5) was taken in hand as soon as
the locality came under our control. By the end of June, 1917, the Beni Hasan Branch had been pro
longed to the 20th kilometre, and by December, 1917, to the tail of the canal. The water way of the
Georgiyah canal was completed by the same time, but the earthwork on the banks of the canal could
not be finished before the canal was opened for use. The opening up of these canals brought 34,657
acres under cultivation for the spring harvest and 32,300 acres for the summer harvest of 1918. This
district had been deserted by its population owing to the failure, already mentioned, of the inundation
canals. It now bears, as I can personally testify, every sign of abundant and increasing prosperity,
and the tribes, who have returned, are now rapidly extending cultivation. The expenditure on these
two canals came to Rs. 9,82,863 (£65,524).
An expenditure of Rs. 1,95,143 (£13,009) was incurred in clearing 61 branches of the Hillah canaL
This work was absolutely essential to the development of cultivation. Had it been neglected it would
have been impossible to distribute efficiently the water brought down by the Hillah canal.
In the Shamiyah district a sum of Rs. 71,631 (£4,775) was expended on clearing 29 canals and
constructing brushwood revetments and temporary dams to assist cultivation. In this district Rs. 93,426
(£6,228) had previously been spent by the Political Officer on Government canals, and this sum should
be added to the expenditure incurred during the financial year 1917-1918 on the irrigation programme..
The work thus carried out undoubtedly led to a very large increase in the revenue demand from the
district.
A sum of Rs. 13,729 (£915) was incurred on maintenance and repairs of canals and channels, and
Rs. 1,41,774 (£9,451) on miscellaneous expenditure not directly connected with irrigation. Of this
Rs. 68,108 (£4,541) were spent on roads. The construction of roads and bridges would ordinarily be
the duty of the Works Department, but, in the order appointing the Director of Irrigation, he was made
responsible for it in places where the Works Department was not represented. It waa naturally one
of the first requirements of the country and would have been equally necessary in order to tap existing
resources had there been no scheme for agricultural development. Such tracks as were in existence
were impassable for motor traffic, and much levelling and cutting had to be carried out. Many rough
masonry culverts were constructed for crossing the existing water channels and a few of a more permanent
nature. The Musayib and Tuwairij (Hindie) boat bridges were also constructed at a total expenditure
of Rs. 38,328 (£2,555). The Tuwairij bridge crosses the Hindiyah branch of the Euphrates opposite
the flourishing town of Tuwairij, and will be of permanent value to the district. The Musayib bridge
is on the road to Karbala from Baghdad. It has been temporarily removed, and the military authorities
are under engagement to replace it. Two other small works were carried out by the Irrigation Depart
ment the cost of which is included in the amount of miscellaneous expenditure. The town of Najaf
(Nejef) derives its water supply from a small canal taking water from the Hindiyah branch of the