"شريط شط العرب الخارجي" [و‎‎٢‎٣‎٨] (٤/١)

'obtained for tbe work, the maintenance of all buoys, light and marks from Basra
to the Light Vessel be transferred to the Department of Port Administration and
Conservancy.
PILOTAGE.
( 39 ) In the ease of difficult rivers, competent persons specially licensed as
pilots are entrusted to navigate the vessels from the bar to port, when the) me an
ed over to the harbour masters.
#
Before the war there were a certain number of Arabs, who, by navigating
dliows and other native craft up and down the river, had obtained a super cia
knowledge of the best channel. When the expeditionary force came to Basra, tne
first ships were piloted by their own captains or by Loyal Navy or Loya
Marine officers, but after a time one of the old Arab pilots was taken on ant ^cp
continually employed. Other Arab pilots gradually found their way ac ' an
a pilot service was instituted.
None of these pilots possesses a .navigation certificate-their only qualification
being that they have been doing pilot work for a varying number o. y eais _
of them was for some time in command of a ship belonging to the Persian Navy ,
whilst another has been a pilot at Bandar Abbas and Bahrein. T ie pi o s come
mostly from the Island of Kharab, north of Bushire, or are descendants oi
the inhabitants there, and although perhaps capable men on dhows ot
buggalows, it is, in my opinion, doubtful if they are fully qualified to take charge
of the permanent pilotage of a large port.
(40) The work of the pilots is not confined to crossing the Bar, they pilot vessels
all the way up-river to Basra where they hand over to European harbour masters
below the shipping ; but on the downward voyage, until recently, they took charge
of the vessels in the harbour and turned and piloted them through the lines of
shipping - a practice attended with great danger, as the usual custom, even where
there are European pilots, is for the harbour master to take the shipping out of the
docks or through the harbour proper handing over charge to the pdots below tl
shipping The reason for the unusual practice in Basra was the shortage
European harbour masters, but additions have now been made to the establishment
and I is hoped that very shortly the Arab pilots will be relieved of all pilotage work
within the harbour.
( 41 ) The pilots are paid fees according to the draught of the vessels they pilot P
and on a schedule of rates drawn up shortly after the British occupation m IS ovem
ber 1914.
Tim scale appears to be unnecessarily liberal. I understand that before the war
pilots who earned Es. 150 a month considered themselves to be domg wel u
under the sanctioned schedule, the average earnings ^ 1 ° « “ ^ .f
31st March 1917 was Es 755. Tins is a ^ of
for the first 6 months of the year, and the
any immediate change in the schedule.
•r , .• „ 1 0 npnfwsarv when the various improve-
If compulsory pilotage continues u , ■,' ’ establisliment 0 f a European
merits suggested in this note have been car rle ^ ^ eamin „ s 0 f the pilots being
pilot service on a proper financial basis is m . < ’ , { tl pilot vesse i
p rS5V,,l. o;rL« limited,
and administration of the service I he ^ ^ ^ India gteam Navi .
which does a great deal o ig i cnng ’ ^ ^ arran g emen ts as to pilotage,
gation Company, Limited, may pre.ei to c v 1 ade a contribution to the
and to this I can see no objection provided that they made