HARBOUR TAX IN EGYPT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 1912, 21 April 1874, Page 3

HARBOUR TAX IN EGYPT.

The Pharaoh of-fche" present day in Egypt does exactly as did the Pharaoh who built the Great Pyramid. The only difference is, that whereas Cheops expended £200,030 on food for the labourers, the Pharaoh of the present day makes -his labourers nofc only supply their own food, but bring their own tools. This fact may appear incredible ; but a few facts will show the actual state of affairs. A new. canal for purposes of irrigation is required, in some of the provinces of Middle Egypt, not far from Cairo. It is to start from Assiout, some 250 miles away, and run parallel with the Nile almost to Cairo. Orders are issued to Governors of districts to supply the necessary amount of labour j these settle the proportion from each Mohdoer under them ; these make requisitions upon- the Sheiks of the villages to supply their quota, sometimes to the extent of half the male population. The Sheik has tho selection of the men, boys, and sometimes girl 9, who are all bound to serve unless they I can find substitutes. They are marched off, ! wives and children being left to tako caro of themselves as they best can, and are put on board immense barges on the Nile, which are towed down stream sometimes five or six abreast, to be landed afc some distant spot. j The arrangement is thafc they work and live ; together in parties, according to theyillages ! they come from. They must bring, a bread- 1 supply for fifty days ; and if it is exhausted before that time, they must replenish at their \ own expense. If they are detained beyond ' the fifty days, they are supplied with bread afc the Government expense. They are a fine, strong race of men. There is certainly no : superfluous fat about fchem, bufc thoy are well- 1 builfc and broad-shouldered. Thoy live entirely in fche open air, and, Jrolling themselves up in a brown woollen cloak, sleep well enough on the dry, hard ground, aud under the starry sky of Egypt. To some questions as to what would becomo of their wives and children during their absence, they replied, " Allah is great, and will provide for them." Nor is this ennal the only public work carried on in Egypt. Here wo have 60,000 men at work ; bufc 80,000 moro aro employed at the same moment in cutting a new canal from near the head of the Delta to supply more water to fcho Mamoudieh Canal, running to Alexandria. And a similar number have lately completed tho embankment for 100 miles of railway in the same district. So, thafc at least 140,000 men have been at work iv forced labour. It is, in fact, taxing the population by labour instead of their pockets, and these works are often a direct or indirect benefit to themselves. Nearly everyone of these men cultivates for himself an acre or two of land, which but produces sufficient doorah or Indian corn or wheat for tho subsistence of his family, and at ordinary times his principal labour is in lifting water by means of a pole and bucket, for fcho irrigation of his land. But when the first crop is gathered, as it is in the month of May, the rich land must lia idle and sunburnt till after next high Nile, if it is too far from the river or a canal to render irrigation possible. In this way thousands upon thousands of acres of fche richeßfc land aro now lying idle, simply for the want of means of irrigation, which will be greatly improved by such canals as these.