EGYPTIAN POLICY

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 19, 24 January 1929, Page 4

EGYPTIAN POLICY

A CHEQUERED STORY

TOLD. BY MAHMOUD PASHA

THE BRITISH EMBAKGO

I" the course of his viait to Mansouru recently, Mahmoud Pasha, the Premier, made a speech which was not only a trenchant reply to tho Wafd accusations against the Cabinet, but also embodied some of the most important public statements made since the Premier took office. His remarks regarding tho irrigation projects at present under way are of special interest..

Dealing first with the Constitutional question, the Premier reminded his audience of the part played by himself with others in the cause of-national independence and the establishment of Constitutional government (writes the Cairo correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph"). This . became, unfortunately, a mere instrument of corruption and a factor of anarchy and disorder, incapable of developing the prosperity of the country or pursuing a policy of reforms and reconstruction.

' The Deputies, he said, interfered in every Department of the State, intimidating the officials for tho furtheran:c of their own private interests. These Deputies were incapable of rendering the slightest service to the country, and I ignorant that power constitutes a [ charge requiring the sacrifice of personal, interests, and even life. The Government had suspended the Parliamentary regime which had become- tho ; laughing-stock of the world; but as soon as proper order was restored and the possibilities of political intimidation ivero abolished, an honest and •beneficent Constitutional regime would be restored in which the nation's representatives would be inspired by the public interests and their consciences. The Constitution would certainly return, and every act of the Government was a step towards that return. It was folly to believe for a moment that I those who built- up the Constitution would destroy it with their own hands. "BRITISH BAYONETS." [ -The Premier then turned to the subject of "British bayonets," oil' which the Wafd declare that the Government relies. This accusation, remarked the Premier, was the greatest insult to their own nation, because it was tantamount I to saying that the nation was incapable of any.useful effort unless it. were pricked on to it by a despotic Government with foreign bayonets. Unhap-pily-a group of Egyptians themselves had no .other object than to capture office'for- their /-personal ambitions and interests. It was this group, when tho nation was weary of their denomination, who had themselves appealed for tho help of foreign bayonets. Tho prosent Government had never begged for foreign help in order to get into power, but had relied solely on the force of its own faith and-confidence in the King and tho support of the country. Eeferring to the Government schemes for domains, agriculture, public health, and the sale of State lands, and to the criticisms of the wafd, the Premier said their opponents sometimes declared that j these schemes could only bo'carried out by a colonising Power or tho instrument thereof. Sometimes they claimed it was they themselves who had first thought of the, schemes .'and discussed them in Parliament. Sometimes they assorted that-by tiiesb schemes the Gov- [ crnment was merely seeking to distract, the nation from the task of securing in-, dependence. :; f ... , . .. The truth u'as.that. the practical fulj'filmeiit of these, great, ptojects had; con-.' founded 'their opponents to such an extent that they did not know what to say, for, having enjoyed power, they. had accomplished nothing of value, j Their embarrassment was natural, for whilst the Government was' occupied with the development of tho national ! prosperity and well-being and the main- I tenanco of order, their adversaries when j in office lived amidst a chaos of dis.orders, oven enticing studeiits from their schools to brawl in the streets, IRRIGATION SCHEMES. I This brought the Premier to the main part of his speech, in which he dwelt at i length on'the subject of tho construction of-',the, Gebel Awlia Reservoir. He dealt',&..- detail with the Wafd propaganda in this connection, not only in tlio Press, but verbally throughout the country, by hundreds of Wafd agents. Summarising the' comprehensive : scheme of irrigation works, the Premier ! mentioned that these would be situated partly in exclusively British, partly in Belgian, and partly in Abyssinian territory. Without these works it would bo impossible to meet Egypt's needs. The Egyptian Government actually had commenced the Gebel Awlia construction at the same time as the Sudan Government commenced the ; -Makwar Dam, but-in 1921 it suspended" the work for financial reasons and also pending the, negotiations then imminent with Great Britain. Zaghloul Pasha, who considered, the: Awlia project beneficial for Egypt,.stated in the Chamber in May, 1924, the Premier continued, that the preceding Ministry demanded tho stoppage of the works, and the result was that works for the benefit of Egypt on t)« White Nile was suspended, whilst the works on the Blue Nile were continued, the Government having permitted their continuance on their account and on their responsibility. In 1925 the Ministry, of Public Works asked fov credits for their construction of tho Awlia works and canal in the Sudd region, but in 1926 a demand was presented for £3,000,000 for compensation for the population who would be displaced by the construction of the Awlia Reservoir. The Minister of Public Works then proposed a postponement of the project pending the. study, as an al- , ternative scheme, of the raising of the Assuan Dam. Adly Pasha declared, however that the Awlia scheme had not been abandoned. ' ■ . . BRITISH OBJECTION. The British Government did not like. the Assuan scheme, fearing., that it would imperil the dam itself, and do-. niauded that the Egyptian Government should:hot pr-bceed with the proposal to appoint an International Commission for the study of the problem without coming to an understanding with the British regarding the composition of the Commission. The Egyptian GovornmentV action was thus paralysed, and also it was clear that if the International Commission reported that the cost of the,two'schemes would be the same the Gebel Awlia scheme would bo preferred and the-Assuan schemel consequently be'finally condemned.'

The present Ministerof Public Works came to the conclusion that the Assuan scheme ■ was feasible.' . At. the , same time, the' Government succeeded in escaping from the restrictions limiting the action of previous Governments. The report .of the Coinmiasion recently appointed was only awaited before commencing the projects planned. Nevertheless, continued the Premier, tho Assuau scheme alone was insufficient to satisfy Egypt's need. The Government therefore was; obliged to return to the Gebel Awlia scheme, adding: "The raising of tho dam and complementary works would entail an expenditure of £E10,000,000 to ensure a supplementary supply .of 2,500,000,000 cubic metres, while the simultaneous oxecution of both scheme would cost £E13,----000,000 and furnish 5,000,000,000 cubic metres." In other words, with a quarter

of the expense in addition we obtain double the volumo of water.-"

As regards Gcbel Awlia, the Egyptian Government would not undertake its execution without guarantees ensuring for Egypt tho absolute disposal of the whole of the water therein stored. As for tho assertion that tho Gobel Awlia Eescrvoir could be transformed into a weapon of war against Egypt by the retention of tho White Nile water during two or three dry months, tho Premier said that the engineers declared this to bo technically impossible.