ACROSS THE AGES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 15, 15 December 1932, Page 12

ACROSS THE AGES

MODERN DEBT-FREE KINGDOM. VIVID WORLD”PICTURE OF IRAQ. Colonel J. H. Stanley, C.8.E., who arrived in Sydney a few days ago, drew a fascinating word picture of Iraq as it was and as it is to-day. Colonel Stanley, who before the European War, was interested in tire subdivision of several large estates on the Darling Downs, and in other parts of Queensland, proceeded to the principal theatre of war with the first British Red Cross Ambulance convoy. He was there until the end of 1916, and was then ordered to Mesopotamia (Iraq) as Deputy Commissioner of the Order of St. John and of the British Red Cross. Colonel Stanley was in Iraq until after the Armistice. He was twice mentioned in despatches, and was also invested with the C.B.E. for war services.

Referring to the handing over of Iraq, or “the kingdom of the two rivers”—the Euphrates and the Tigris —to Great Britain under the mandatory system, Colonel Stanley said that Great Britain’s mission was gradually to train the people of that country to become eventually the masters of their own destiny. “From the very commencement,” ho added, “she laid it down as her guiding principle that wherever Iraquis could fill the role they were to take their places side-by-side with the British administrators and advisers. Over/them all stood the visible and invisible power of a High Commissioner. The administration can be said to have been divided between a military and a civilian regime. For a few years this system worked quite satisfactorily. It was then felt that an advance could be made, and, like the Children of Israel of old, the people cried out ‘Give us a king.’ The choice fell upon Feisul, a direct descendant of the pliophet, and a man of exceptional ability and high culture. That the choice was a wise one has been proved by subsequent events. His relations all through have been most friendly with the various High Commissioners and British officials. And so events moved. The last stage was reached only a few months ago, when Iraq entered the League of Nations as an independent sovereign country. The role of High Commissioner disappeared, and lias now been replaced by that of an ambassador. As regards the new kingdom, it may be said that the ship of State has been launched under most favourable auspices—probably the most favourable at the moment of any country in the world. NO PUBLIC DEBT. “It possesses enormous potential wealth, and has no public debt of any description. It is, indeed, the envy of the whole world. Thus one sees a country to-day steeped in history reaching back along the corridors of time to the earliest known ages. Kingdoms rose and fell. Mighty armies tramped across its burning plains. Babylonia flourished. Haron el Raschid, with his Arabian knight, still delights the reader to-day. But slowly all these high civilisations appear to have toppled over, and then darkness settled down over the land’ until once more there was heard the tramp of the victorious army. This time it was the British finder the leadership of General Maude. Therefore, when one speaks of the potential wealth of this country it means the revival of the wealth that existed centuries ago. In this regard it is interesting to observe that even with the most modern scientific instruments it is impossible to find any error in the canal system that extended from north to south and from east to west centuries ago. If a surveyor places his theodolite to-day on one of these old canals it is found to be perfect as regards its alignment. The two rivers, flowing from the snow mountains of Armenia ; bring the necessary water for irrigation. And, as they say in the East, water is gold. “At present, the Government and private individuals are creating canals in all directions for agricultural purposes. The land produces two crops in a year. The winter crop includes wheat, barley, beans, maize, millets, and linseed, with .a high percentage of oil. These are the main winter crops. The main summer crops are cotton sesame —an oil plant—and, of course, as its home, the lucerne plant, which flourishes with very little cultivation. Dates, of course, are produced in vast quantities; also most kinds of tropical and sub-tropical fruits. There are also its vast flocks of sheep, which produce a Lincoln type of wool, and which, with proper classing and selection, will grow a wool that will find a ready market. Goats and goat skins, camels and donkeys, for transport, are all sources of revenue. ,

ITS OIL WEALTH. “Most important of all is the discovery of oil. An international company, known as the Iraq Petroleum Company, includes, with equal interests, Great Britain, the United States, Holland and France. The field has now been thoroughly proved, and sufficient oil is available for two pipelines across the desert for the next ten years. One well, known as the ‘barba gurga,’ is said to be the largest producing well in existence. This company has already spent more than £4,000,000 in development, and having established beyond doubt a supply of oil, it is, at the present moment, engaged in the vast undertaking of constructing two pipelines across the desert. One goes to Haifa, Palestine, where the British are constructing a new port for that country; the other pipeline goes to Tripoli. This undertaking, it is estimated, will take five years to complete, at an estimated cost of £8.000,000. When completed, refineries will be erected at tire termini. “Wliat this means to Europe will be readily appreciated, for oil landed on the shores of the Mediterranean will compete with oil brought thousands of miles from America and elsewhere,. to say nothing of oil from the Persian Gulf, which is handicapped by Suez Canal dues, and long transport. During the five years’ period of construction, this company is to pay, by way of rent to the Iraq Government. £400,000 (gold) a year. A second company has commenced operations, and in its initial stages it has to pay a rent of £IOO,OOO (gold) a year for a term of years. When the field becomes an exporting one, these payments become royalties. “With this easily, found money the Iraq Government has entered upon a vigorous policv of public works, loans for which will be guaranteed and secured on the oil revenues. .Thus finance in Iraq is made a very simple problem. • . , “Such is the brief story of the great work of the British Government under the mandatory system. AUSTRALIAN ENGINEERS. “During the dire and dark days of the war, incidentally, there was ■ a shortage of raen to take charge of the ambulance launches on the two rivers, for it was by this means that all the sick and the wounded were transported. An appeal was made to the" then Governor-General of Australia—thisn Sir Ronald Mumro Ferguson, later

Viscount Novar —for the services of such launch engineers us the type of men one sees on Sydney Harbour. The number of men needed was mentioned, and the then Governor-Gen-eral wisely decided to divide the requirements among the States, with a quota for each. These men were sent to Iraq, and they did admirable work during the war. “Speaking of this country, one name must not be omitted. It is that of Mr Norman Brookes, who did yeoman work for the Red Cross. His business ability, revealed itself in the co-ordination of the whole system of indents, stocks, deliveries, and so on.”