ملف ٤٧٢٢\١٩١٨ الجزء ٨ "بلاد الرافدين: الوضع" [ظ‎‎٢‎١‎٦] (٩٩٥/٤٤٣)

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We should also, even in parts oi the country directly under our adminis
tration, go slowly, and refrain from forcing on the people town councils
improvement trusts, drainage and water supply, and all the other parapher
nalia of civilization, more especially as the people themselves are unable to
pay the bills; and lastly, we should exercise a rigid control over expenditure
especially on public works. Some works are essential but it must be borne in
mind that whilst one engineer would insist on nothing short i>f absolute
■ perfection whatever the cost, others are content to cut their coat according to
their cloth, and many estimates for essential works which appear in the Budget
with- a lunip sum allotment, and are passed without comment by the head of
the administration, could be materially reduced by exercising economy.
It would interest me to see the plans and estimates for the barracks at
Baghdad, and whilst fully admitting that our troops must be well housed in
such a climate, there is a dividing line between what is necessary and what is
luxury. In India the tendency is to do without what is necessary if there
are no funds available, and the European troops in Bangoon (a climate in
some respects worse than Baghdad) are still living in the wooden barracks
built j>y Lord Dalhousie in 1853, and which, I believe, have been repeatedly
condemned as being uninhabitable according to modern standards. We are
not obliged slavishly to copy the method of economy practised in India, but
we need not go to the other extreme.
In conclusion, I must repeat that J have never been a believer in the
rapid development of Mesopotamia in any shape or form, but I do think that
by a better form of administration than obtains at present we can make the
mandate a success and greatly reduce the expenditure.
I am, Sir, your obedient Servant,
GEOKGE C. BUCHANAN.
16, Victoria-street, Westminster, S.W. 1 ,
June 19.
Deleted from Reuters, July 25th.
Cairo .—Message to Times states that Syrian Government is appealing to
League of Nations.
, Replying in Commons to Lambert, Lloyd George said that^our present
difficulties in Mesopotamia were temporary. He was convinced that thev
would be over-come.
Government saw no reason to abandon British mandate for Mesopotamia.
. Times telegram from Jerusalem says that Bolshevism is making progress
\ n f r I la \ liet ^ er f rom Trotsky and Lenin has been circulated which recognises
Arab in dependency.
Note by Miss G. L. Bell, C.B.E.
July 28, 1920.
arriV^ 1 ™! 1 ^ ^ ^ visi t s f rom Y « suf Eheudi Suwaidi since his
Ehndhair/lad ‘IS p returne T d taking with him Vasin Pasha
Khudham and Abdul Bazzaq al Mir. No others were present. Yusuf
Aomori, t^ e IwlT 8aiyid TaIib ’ s gratification. The
to MLs BpB W n ated t0 S / r A V AV lIson a ? d repeated later at his request
to -Miss Bell tor purposes of record, was as follows:
Yusuf Suwaidi began by saying that the nationalist parfv had been at work
lor six months and had accomplished marvels but it was a" great disappoint
ment that the Notables of Basrah had refused their support. S TaKb in
particular should have given them his powerful backing. When he came to
P d - t J e p rst hTn ? the T had f ot approached him because he was the guest
of the Civil Commissioner and they feared he had joined the opposite camD
Twice they had written to him to Basrah and received no definite an^e?*
But now that He had come, even though it had been in answer to a British
invitation, they were prepared to make him the leader. It was true that thev
had loudly expressed their desire to have ‘Abdullah as Amir but that was onlv
a ruse. The person they really wanted was Saivid Talib fit must bh
remembered that Saiyid Talib himself is the reporter) 'Fhev we,e tph
of tTln aLTdanne 6 WWl TV ,' 5 .money, troops and mnSas
' ^ ™ a )nn(, ance. U hat had they received? A bare TIB 009 r What
was among so many? How could they carry on propaganda unless they
^ If Sai > id Talib* would join thjm TusS
the Sreat and InYhlf ?' }loh tbe . re . s 0 l V*T? of tile at his disposal. All
worF The ShplhY ndT ?d -'Y ' 1 i 0 l ned lil V >ar , t - y ~ a11 were obedient to his
nnYnse Afwh a f d b ad b ecome brothers, linked by a common
tl e Eimh.Ytt/ • tribe p thel i r i :,d hesion was patent to all eyes. “ Look at
t nl 1 V + 1 l S T tY 10 . Ca ^ d the tr ibes to rebellion by untiring propa-
" ,e Arab -
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