ASSYRIAN SETTLEMENT

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 February 1936, Page 7

ASSYRIAN SETTLEMENT

PROJECT IN SYRIA APPROVED BRITAIN’S CONTRIBUTION [BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS] RUGBY. February 11. The plan for settling Assyrians in the Ghab district in Syria, was the subject of a debate in the Lords, initiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury. He pointed out that when the contribution;-: already .promised, including £250,000 which the British Government had offered, had been added together, a balance of £lBO,000 remained' to be found. The Primate stated he was ready to Inaugurate a public appeal for this money, and had already secured a strong comImittee to give effect to it, if the Government approved. Lord Stanhope said that although the Government felt they had no actual liability in regard to the settlement of the Assyrians, they had decided to make an offer of £250,000 to the League, on condition that Iraq made an equal contribution, and Iraq bad agreed. The only hope to meet the gap and clear up the situation would be a substantial response to the •appeal the Archbishop proposed to make to private charity. The Government would help the appeal and hoped it would be a great success. The scheme for the settlement of n the Assyrians requires preliminary 1 work of reclamation and development ( in the plain known as the Ghab, in- ‘ eluding extensive drainage and irriga- 1 tion, at a cost of about £827,000, of • which the French Mandatory authori- 1 ties are finding about £380,000. The alluvial soil of the Valley of Orontes is believed to be of great potential richness. It is anticipated that the Assyrians will be able to begin to cultivate their permanent lands in 1940. <

The net cost of the settlement operation itself, as distinct from the preliminary reclamation and development, was estimated in the original plan submitted to the League of Nations last September, at about £320,000. This covered provision for administration and transport of Assyrians from Iraq, food supplies, motor vehicles and tractors, agricultural implements, and seed, livestock, construction of houses, schools, and churches, and sanitary services, and supplies. The most important of these credits is for food, about £125,000, for during the period before the settlers are able to grow sufficient for their own needs.

As the result of a resolution of the League Council, an autonomous Board of Trustees for Assyrian settlement has been established at Beirut. Its task is to collaborate with the French Mandatory authorities, in administration of the actual settlement operation as distinct from reclamation works on the Ghab Plain, the execution of which is being left to the Mandatory auhorities, and to assume local financial responsibility within the limits of its regular budgets, as approved by the League of Nations. The French Mandatory -authorities propose eventually to naturalise the Assyrians en bloc, after which they will be in the same position add enjoy the same rights as other religious minorities in the States, covered by the Mandate for Syria.