ملف رقم ٤٣٤٥ لسنة ١٩١٢ "السكة الحديدية العابرة لبلاد فارس" [ظ‎‎٨‎٣] (٣٣٠/١٧١)

12
* This Committee consisted of the
Honourable Mr. W. H. Clark, Commercial
Member of Council, Lieutenant-General
Sir D. Haig, Chief of the General Staff,
Sir T. R. Wynne, President of the Railway
Board, and Mr. J. B. Wood, Deputy
Secretary to the Government of India,
Foreign Department.
VII.
Inter-Departmental Committee, appointed by Government of India,' 1 *'
reported 8 th February 1911.
“ . . . . From the purely strategical point of view ... it would
undoubtedly be preferable that India
should maintain her quasi - insular
position and should refuse to co-operate
in any scheme which would tend to
facilitate the transportation of a hostile
Power up to or across her frontier.
We recognise, however, that the
march of events in the Near and Middle
East renders it impossible that this position of_ isolation can be indefinitely
maintained .... From this standpoint it seems to us desirable to
seize the opportunity which the present proposal offers for securing the
conditions which we consider essential rather than to wait until circumstances
may force us to permit the connection on terms which may be less
advantageous.
With regard to the merits of the enterprise from the commercial point of
view, we are in general agreement with the opinions expressed in the letter
from the Board of Trade . . . We do not consider that there is any
likelihood of goods being carried on the railway from the United Kingdom to
India or vice versa . . .We are inclined to doubt also whether the through
passenger traffic on the railway would be of any great magnitude
The proposed line can, therefore, hardly be expected to prove a financial
success ....
“ . . . . We are nevertheless of opinion that having regard to the
desirability of meeting the wishes of the Russian Government and the
importance of obtaining a due share in the control of any railway that may
be made in Persian territory, and in view of the opportunity which now
offers of obtaining concessions for branch lines which are important to us,
both strategically and commercially, the Government of India will be well
advised to accept in principle the proposals of the Russian Consortium,
subject to such conditions in respect of alignment, branch lines, &c., as may
be considered necessary to secure the safety of India and the development of
Indian trade. . . .”
VIII.
Government of India, 23rd February 1911.
“ • . . . We concur generally in these conclusions [i.e., those of the
Inter-departmental Committee], except in regard to a few points as to which
we find ourselves unable to endorse the recommendations of the Committee.
• • With these reservations we commend the Committee’s proposals to
the favourable consideration of His Majesty’s Government.”
0
IX.
Chief of the General Staff, War Office (Field-Marshal
Lord Nicholson, G.C.B., &c.), 26th April 1911.
a . c ^ ear r w hat advantage we shall gain by railway construction in
oouthern^ Persia. Ihe Muhammadan population is small and turbulent, the
country is badly governed, life and property are insecure, and though some
districts are fertile, most of Southern Persia is believed to consist of
mountains and deserts. ... It will always be easier and cheaper to
carry on our passenger traffic and our commerce with India by sea than by
land. ... j j