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'File 73/7 II (D 22) Status of Koweit [Kuwait] - Baghdad railway, Anglo Turkish negotiations' [240r] (487/540)
The record is made up of 1 volume (268 folios). It was created in 24 Oct 1911-26 Dec 1912. It was written in English, French and Arabic. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
{Received on the 26th August 1912, with Political Secretary's letter No. 32, dated
the 9th August 1912.)
[B.]
ASIATIC TUEKEY AND AEABIA. [July 27.]
CONFIDENTIAL. Section 1.
[31714.]
Memorandum communicated to Tewfik
Pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
.
In an annex to the memorandum handed to the Turkish Ambassador on the
18th July it was indicated that a further memorandum would shortly be presented
embodying the views of His Majesty's Government with regard _ to the customs
treatment of certain classes of cotton yarns and manufactures on importation into
Turkey, a matter to which they attach great importance in connection with any
arrangement between the two Governments for the increase of the present rate of
the Turkish customs duties.
Bis Majesty's Government understand that the Turkish Government propose
a general increase from 11 to 15 per cent, ad valorem, and that this is desired not
as & a measure of protection for native industry, but solely as a means of increasing
the Turkish revenue. His Majesty's Government therefore think it right to point
out that the great bulk of the present trade between the two countries in cotton
yarns and piece-goods is a trade in articles of a cheap description suited to the
needs of a large body of consumers of limited means, and that, after careful en
quiry, they are advised that an increase of duty from 11 to 15 per cent, on these
articles would certainly cause either a diminution in the volume of the trade on
account of the increase of price or a deterioration in the quality of the goods
in order to retain the market, and that most probably it would have both these
effects in varying degrees according to the class of goods. This being so, the
Ottoman Government will realise that the proposed increase of duty must fail
to yield a corresponding increase of revenue, since it will be levied on a smaller
volume of goods of lower average value.
In these circumstances. His Majesty's Government suggest that the interests
both of the Turkish revenue, of the consuming population in Turkey, and of British
manufacturers would be best met by limiting the increase of duty on cotton yarns
and piece-goods to 2 per cent., viz., from 11 to 13 per cent, ad valorem. In making
this proposal His Majesty's Government think it desirable to call attention to the
fact that British trade with Turkey is considerably greater than that of any other
country, with the result that the burden inflicted by the proposed increase of
Turkish duties will fall much more heavily on British manufacturers and traders
than on those of any other nationality. His Majesty's Government do not of
course suggest that any special treatment should be accorded to British goods,
which is not at the same time extended to similar goods of all nationalities, but
they urge that the facts to which they have called attention justify-/ the most
favorable treatment by Turkey of the classes of goods in which British trade is pre-
x dominantly interested, especially since there is ground for believing that the in
terests of British trade are in this matter in accordance with those of the Turkish
Government and people.
Foreign Office, July 27, 1912.
(Copy sent informally to the Army Department for transmission to the
Division of the Chief of the Staff.)
G. M. Press, Simla —No, C.-393 F. D.—7-9-12—30,-J.N.B.
91
About this item
- Content
The volume contains letters, telegrams, and memorandums pertaining to Anglo-Turkish negotiations brought on by the Baghdad Railway and particularly the extension to Basra. Correspondents include: Percy Cox, Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. at Bushire, William Shakespear, Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Kuwait, Edward Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Louis Mallet, Assistant Under-secretary of State for Near and Middle Eastern Affairs, Charles Marling, British Ambassador to Persia, Gerard Lowther, British Ambassador to Constantinople, George Buchanan, British Ambassador to Russia, Admiral Edmond Slade, the Board of Trade, the Government of India, the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. , and several private companies, including Trans-Atlantic Trust Company, Anglo-Persian Oil Company, Imperial Ottoman Bank, and Imperial Persian Bank.
The form of the negotiations was a series of memorandums containing proposals and counter-proposals. The issues and subjects discussed are:
- ownership and control of the line;
- custom duty increases in the region;
- navigation of the Shatt al-Arab, including the establishment of a commission to oversee this;
- transport of railway materials by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers;
- delimitation of the Turkish-Persian border;
- status and territorial limit of Kuwait;
- other Gulf matters, including the statuses of Bahrain and Qatar, the suppression of arms traffic, piracy, and slavery, and the protection of pearl fisheries.
Folios 261-262 are a map showing the proposed territorial limits of Kuwait.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (268 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume is arranged chronologically. At the beginning (ff. 3-4) is a subject index, in no particular order but grouped under several broad headings. The numbers refer to folio numbers from the secondary, earlier sequence.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers positioned in the top-right corner of each recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. . There are two earlier foliation systems running through parts of the volume. The first uses uncircled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. pages, and the top-left corner of verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. pages. This foliation system numbers pages if they have content on them, which is the case for all rectos and some versos. This foliation system appears intermittently through most of the volume. The other foliation system uses circled blue pencil numbers in the top-right corner of recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. pages, and appears from folios 5 to 42. Numerous printed materials contained in the volume have their own internal pagination systems. The following foliation irregularities occur: 1a, 34a, 51B, 219B, 250B.
- Written in
- English, French and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/1/611
- Title
- 'File 73/7 II (D 22) Status of Koweit [Kuwait] - Baghdad railway, Anglo Turkish negotiations'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 1ar:1av, 2r:5v, 16r:22v, 24r:34v, 34ar:34av, 35r:42v, 44r:49v, 51r:51v, 51br:51bv, 52r:54v, 56r:63v, 66r:67v, 72r:112r, 113r:134v, 136r:168v, 170r:182v, 184r:204r, 205v:213v, 215v, 219br:219bv, 222r:225v, 227r:236v, 238r:250v, 250br:250bv, 251r:261v, 262v:264v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence