LAND OF THE KURD

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 April 1933, Page 3

LAND OF THE KURD

GREAT TASK COMPLETE

LONDON, February 3

Irak is bounded on the north and east by the Zagros range of mountains, from which the waters of the Tigris spring. The northern part of these mountains; which is divided amongst Turkey, Persia, and Irak, forms/the highlands inhabited by the Kurdish people, who are a distinct race, with a language of their own. It is through these mountains that the Irak Government have been constructing a road for which the New Zealander, Mr A. M. Hamilton (Christchurch) has been largely responsible.

North Persia, which has the largest cities, such as Teheran and Tabriz, and the wealthiest province, is rather inaccessible except from Russia. With a motor road through the Rowanduz section of the Zagros Mountains it is likely that trade would come from ’ North Persia to the northern terminus of the Irak railway system which is at present at Kirkuk (about sixty miles from the road), and will later be at Ai'bil or Mosul (actually on the new road). In his interesting lecture before the Royal Central Asian Society, Mr Hamilton explained that useful as this road will be as a feeder for the Irak railways, which will thus carry North Persian goods to Bagdad and Basra, it will have an even more important use in providing the shortest possible

road line from Tabriz or Teheran to the Mediterranean coast, via Rowanduz and Mosul, and thence to Beirut or to Alexandretta, or else to the Turkish terminus of the European railway system at Nisibih. To go by rail from Paris to Persia in these days when the rapid travelling is so sought for, the journey will now: take five days and nights from Paris to Nisibin, and only two days more by the Mosul-Rowanduz road to Tabriz and it will be even less when a more direct route is made from Mosul to Rowanduz by bridging the Greater Zab at Bekhime Gorge. The reason given foi’ the Persian keenness for the new road is that, up to the present, Russia has had too much of a monopoly of the trade of Northern Persia, and that a new outlet to the Mediterranean is greatly welcomed. The relations with the Persian engineers were always most cordial.

The British mandatory administration which recently terminated, said Mr Hamilton, promised the Kurdish leaders that the object of the road was trade and the establishment of peaceful administration, schools, hospitals, and industrial development. On this promise the Kurdish leaders were asked for their help in the building of the road. The help was given, even though the making of the road meant the breaking of the door of their natural stronghold for all time. To have obtained the support of the people in this way was sound policy, but it involved a promise. That promise must be made good. Up to the present time too great a proportion of the Irak Budget has been devoted to military activity in the Kurdish districts and too small a proportion to peaceful and constructive development. An educated Kurd made the remark that the cost of the Irak army operations in 1932 was sufficient to have educated every Kurdish child.

A MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. Mr Hamilton showed in his pictures the mule caravan that for thousands of years has carried merchandise over the passes near the line of the new motor road. The latter has been constructed along the course of rivers which flow through gorges with almost perpendicular sides, and the cutting of the road necessitated the excavation of nearly one million tons of earth and rock, a considerable portion of which required blasting. The road rises from 1200 ft at Arbil to ! 6000 ft on the frontier pass at Zim-e-Shaikh. In the future, hotels will doubtless bo built near the frontier as cool summer stations or for winter sports. Nearby is the Al Gurd, 12,229 feet, and the highest mountain in Irak. “The chief difficulty in the earlier stages of the work,” said Mr Hamilton, “was to teach untrained overseers and untrained coolies and tribesmen to handle pneumatic machinery, high explosives, steam rollers, stone crushers, and' bridge erecting plant that they had not previously seen or worked with- Under an excellent Indian supervisor, Sujan Singh, the mixed road personnel of Persians, Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Armenians, and one or two Indians proved itself quite able to learn the technique of the work, even though no fewer than seven languages were in common use —Arabic, Kurdish, Persian, Turkish, Assyrian, Hindustani, and English. “It was found that the mixed! nationalities wjorked wtell together, t rarely quarrelled, took a keen interest | in their work, never objected to any

job on account of the difficulty or danger, and never complained when called out to work overtime on urgent jobs, such as bridge erection. Although there were only the most primitive conditions of comfort in their tents, soakings in the bitterly cold winter rains did not perturb them or cause much ill-health. Malaria and influenza were common epidemics, but there were comparatively few deaths. For medical and surgical attention (the latter being frequently required), the Indian medical officer of the First Assyrian Battalion, Irak Levies, was permitted to treat urgent cases at the Diana Military Hospital, and this concession, kipdly granted by the Commanding Officer, Colonel Cameron, C.8.E., saved many lives. r rhe Levy Doctors also treated Kurdish, tribesmen. “This Assyrian Levy Battalion was one of the last two battalions of the British Army of Occupation of Mesopotamia. I’he chivalry and tact of their British officers, even more than the fighting qualities of the Assyrian troops, went far to win the respect and confidence of the Kurds, without which the construction of the road would' have been impossible. “The Irak army is, on. the other hand, under absolute command of the Irak Government and Irak officers. r lhe senior Iraki officers are mostly of the old Turkish school, and, unlike the British officers . whose example they might follow, they have not shown the same desire to deal tactfully with the tribesmen up to the present time.

“To keep order and to guard the money during payment there were usually only four Irak policemen and a sergeant, and a few armed tribesmen who were used as sentries.

“Occasionally there were crimes amongst the coolies, but not often, and this small guard was quite sufficient to deal with any trouble that arose. “On the whole, the men were remarkably tractable and stayed year after year on the work, or, in the case of the Arabs, returned regularly each summer. After four years’ association it was with great regret that, as the work finished, I had eventually to leave the staff and men whom I knew so well and who, in my opinion, had worked so willingly. Nearly all of the Assyrians of the staff have, I am sorry to say, since been dismissed from the Public Works Department. It would seem to be a mistaken policy to dismiss these trained men, even though they are Assyrians.” Twelve, steel bridges were erected, fi’lie men cheered with tremendous excitement whenever a bridge was finished, but the applause was not entirely disinterested, as the engineer had to stand them a feast on any such occasion.

“Considering that the Kurdish leaders are so often described in the Press as rebels and robbers, opposed to any kind of administration,” said Mr Hamilton, “I hope I am correcting that impression. After my four years’ intimate contact with the Kurdish people I can say that they have a genuine wish to see progress and good government throughout their territory and education for their children, even at the cost of much of their old religious and tribal power. They realise only too well that they are backward, and a prey to the better-armed peoples that surround them and so frequently punish them, for reasons by no means clear to them.

“In roads they have quickly seen some advantages. Throughout the period when the British mandate was really effective, the Kurds had a surprising confidence in our fairness, in our promises,' and that the British officials with whom they came in contact genuinely desired to help them forward. Upon this confidence an understanding sprang up that any tribe could use the new road's and not infringe the territorial rights of hitherto enemy tribes. Without loss to either side of their all-important tribal dignity, they could travel where they liked along roads, without the customary fighting, usually so costly to both parties. Strange as it. may seem, robberies of motors or caravans on the new roads in the tribal territories are so far almost unknown—except when there are Irak army operations in hand, when they become at once extremely serious. “For the payment of labour employed on the Rowanduz Road during five years, one hundred thousand pounds were transported through wild country by car or by mules, with guard's of only two or three policemen or tribesmen. We were never once

robbed or interfered with. Nor were the workmen over shot at, except when there were military operatiflhs in hand.”

The only road engineer who has been robbed in recent times was Mr Herford, who had the misfortune to have an Irak army escort. “I have endeavoured to show that road construction, building, and peaceful administration may be possible in areas where military activity may be bitterly and violently opposed, and that peaceful penetration is the only sensible means to adopt.”