"تقارير إدارة أقسام ومناطق الأراضي المحتلة في بلاد الرافدين لسنة ١٩١٨. المجلد I" [ظ‎‎١‎٩‎٤] (٤٧٠/٣٩٣)

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Financial .—Suq al Shuyukh has, during the year under review, paid its way.
Under the 1919-20 budget it is anticipated that this financial stability ol our
baladiyah will be added to during the coming year, enabling many much needed
improvements to be carried out. .
In one or two cases a modification in our method of collecting taxes has been
made, but has not, I fear, had the result looked for by the Revenue Board. While
it is agreed that the system of farming taxes is in theory wasteful, in practice it
has been found to yield a much bigger revenue than does direct taxation collected
by an Arab tax collector. This is due to the Arab instinct, born of long years oi
habit, to take backsheesh and allow, in return, the evasion of Government taxes
by friends and brother Mussulmans. In principle, the system of farming taxes may
possibly operate oppressively on the people, and may further be a sign of weak
Government control, but as a revenue producer (in cases where the nature of the
taxed article, e.g., reeds and mats, makes supervision of the tax collectors methods
impossible) this system is from the point of view of the A.P.O., if of an impecunious
and struggling baladiyah, the most successful one. The following figures are
illuminating :— R s .
Average of five months, February-June, farmed per mensem 130/-
(reeds, mats).
Average of five months, July-December, direct collection per 100/-
mensem.
Baladiyah ImpTove 7 ncnts. —Suq al Shuyukh, like most other Arab towns, affords
wide scope for improvements, and during the past year many useful schemes have
been carried through. Chief among these has been an extension of road along the
river front. During last season’s floods the town was threatened with inundation
owing to inadequate bunds, but several hundred tribesmen were brought in and the
situation was saved. The idea of a broad promenade along the river bank then
suggested itself. The chief obstacle to this was a date garden which, for a distance
of 150 feet, came down to within two yards of the river, leaving a narrow and
dangerous path. A scheme was outlined and sanction sought to cut through this
date garden to a depth of 25 feet. To-day a broad and imposing road is the first
sight the visitor has on landing at Suq al Shuyukh. On the side opposite stand the
Shabanah Headquarters. These are a neat and newly repaired block of buildings,
standing in a large open space, where last year stood a dozen or more filthy
sarifahs. This w~ork was carried out under my direction, but at military expense,
to accommodate the Military Garrison. When the latter was evacuated these
premises were immediately taken for the Shabanah Force.
Another town improvement which gave much satisfaction to the inhabitants
was the laying out of a market place, a scheme which had the advantage of being
a sanitary measure as well. The particular site was an area covered by a deep
deposit of town refuse. Where it met the bazaar, tribeswomen were wont to fore
gather to sell their wares, making the bazaar entrance, ugly and dirty. The area
was cleared and a commodious sarifah built to attract these ladies from the bazaar
and afford them protection during the hot weather.
An innovation, and consequently not so popular a scheme, was the building of
public latrines and incinerators. The latter have been utilised for destroying all
kinds of town refuse, and the laborious and insanitary arrangement of taking
rubbish outside the city walls for burial has at last become but an unpleasant
memory.
An attempt was made to turn to account the Maude Memorial Fund, but
without success. A sum of Rs. 16,000/- was originally subscribed in this district,
invested and ear-marked for a boat bridge at Suq al Shuyukh. The difficulty of
obtaining materials, and their great cost owing to the war, had brought about an
indefinite postponement of the plan. Now, however, that the war is over, it is
devoutly to be hoped that the bridge will be able to be built in the ensuing year.
For political reasons this is desirable, for Suq boasted of a bridge under the Turk.
It had, too, a Turkish bath. This, also, is an important project for the new year,
but should, I think, be left to private enterprise. With the hoped-for fall in the
cost of material, and a little encouragement from Government, it ought not to be
a difficult matter to bring about the floating of a company in the town for this
purpose.
Crime .—There has been a marked absence of any of the worse forms of crime
during the past year, and Suq is maintaining its reputation for a law-abiding