"تقارير إدارة أقسام ومناطق الأراضي المحتلة في بلاد الرافدين لسنة ١٩١٨. المجلد I" [و‎‎١‎٤‎٩] (٤٧٠/٣٠٢)

score. Later on, some little damage was done to the telegraph poles in the Dhafir
area. The Shammar near by were fined and the Dhafir Shabanah warned that they
too would, in future, be punished if they did not discover the offenders. Then
the nuisance stopped. It is considered that the Dhafir themselves did it to injure
the Shammar. Their conduct on the whole has not been as good as that of the
Zubair men.
“ The force was increased to 177 in July in order to take over the guarding of
Jabal Sanam Railway. This was done on the 1st August. The men were recruited
from Zubair and have given every satisfaction.
“ The Arab Superintendent was engaged in June, and has been found very useful
in connection with rations and equipment. Two B.O.R. instructors were engaged
in June, making now a total of three; one of whom is employed as acting Quarter
master Sergeant in charge of the office and stores ; one is in charge of the Zubair
Company, now including 23 men at Shu‘aibah station, which was taken over on the
29th September; and a third is in charge of the Dhafir Company, now increased
by 40 to include Luqait and Tall-al-Lahm, taken over on the 27th and 28th
September, respectively. The men are now all provided with uniform, consisting
of a khaki daqlas of native cut, c aqal, kafiyah, and native sandals. They have
been informally 5 taught a certain amount of drill and cleanliness by their B.O.R.
instructors, and present a good appearance. There has been no difficulty in obtaining
recruits since the men were posted, and we have a reserve of 73 men that were engaged
for blockade work and then discharged.
“ (2) Basrah .—The Basrah Sanjaq Shabanah are isolated groups of watchmen
at the Local Resources Wharf at Fijjat-al-Arab, at Bait Na‘mah Hospital, at
Quliyan Station, and at Nahr ‘Umr, and do not form an organised body.
“ 11. Labour : Labour .—Military demands on Arab labour have been insistent
and exacting throughout the year and the strictest measures have been necessary
in order to keep the supply approximate to the demand. This is always difficult
during the date season, and it was quite impossible during the ravages of influenza.
It is a task which must be distasteful to a Political Officer, since inclination and
duty are so much at variance. However fully he may realise the necessity of
providing labour for the needs of the Army, his sympathies are bound to be with
the Mallaks and their fellahs who suffer—the only class in this country that has
not made profit from the war. It is to be hoped that one of the earliest signs of
the dawn of peace may be the abolition of this impressment; so long as it remains
one cannot expect the rural population to appreciate the sincerity of our protesta
tions of goodwill, notwithstanding the removal of restrictions on trade and travel
which marked the morrow of the Armistice. The total number of coolies demanded
for labour corps is 2,239, and this number is gradually being reached again after
the lapse which took place during the epidemic. Besides this, some 8,000 men
are obtained from the municipal area as casual labourers; this work is not so
irksome as that of the labour corps, in which men remain for a fortnight or a month
at a time, though the rates paid by Government cannot compare with those offered
by merchants in the bazaar. The Assistant Political Officer has also to find labour
for detached work at Nahr ‘Umr, and the dairy farm at Harthah, the Bait
Na‘mah Hospital, and the camp at Fao, and he recruits Arab guards for duty on
the railway and elsewhere. A number of men are permanently employed by the
Works Directorate and the Inland Water Transport.”
12. Miscellaneous : (1) Jail .—The Civil jail has been efficiently managed
by the Superintendent and his Deputies, Mr. Finnimore and late Sergeant-Major
Melling. The following paragraphs form the report of the Superintendent,
Captain D. F. Borrie :—
“ The population of the jail has remained about the same during the year,
and any increase above the proper number of convicts has been rectified by the
despatch of long-term convicts to India. In this way 30 pf. long-term convicts
have been despatched, vide D.C.C.’s No. 6735/166/6, dated the 15th May 1918.
The greatest number of convicts on any day was 30 /, compared with 286 during
the previous year.
“ The following tables show the number of prisoners
passed through the jail during the year :—
All classes remaining on the 1st January 1918
All classes received during the period -
All classes released during the period -
All classes remaining on the 31st December 1918
of all classes who have
- 260
- 790
- 783
- 263