Reports and papers of the Egyptian Administration Committee [‎16r] (31/108)

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LCRD HILI^ER cited the Gezira irrigation scheme as
necessitating a more or less specialist office,. This
kind of question would annually develop in quantity
and complexity,
LORD EDWARD CECIL was of opinion that it was not realised
what the state of Egypt v-rould he at tne end of the v i .aP
when the Nationalists and malcontents were freed; tne
Press uncensdced and the Legislative Council sitting;
nor wore the difficulties and problems which must then
arise appreciated,
LORD CURZON agreed that the difficulties would he vastly
increased hut did not see why tne Department tnat
grappled Yfith them should he outside tne Foreign Oxfice.
Assuming we maintained our position in Mesopotamia; a
new group of countries, possibly under a new Secretary
of State" as for India, would he necessary hut this was
not now the question. As a fact, the Secretary ox
State for Foreign Affairs would In any case he resoonslhie
In the last resort. It was therefore necessary that a
Department should he created to afford him the necessary
knowledge and this Department with whatever macnanepy
it might he constituted must be inside the Foreign Ofiloe,.
THE CHAIRMAN accepted this idea so far as concerned Parliamentar,
necessities hut was against undue extension of Foreign
Office interference in the administration of the country,
LORD MILNER and LORD EDWARD CECIL disclaimed any such idea..
Something analogous to a Colonial Representative was
required and Lord Milner considered that such Oificial
whether inside or outside the Foreign Office should he
administrative and not diplomatic.
LORD CURZON was of opinion that such officials could very well
he recruited under the direction of the Foreign Oxfice,
LORD MILNER as an instance of the difficulty experienced in
obtaining information about Egypt from tne foreign Office,
recalled that when asked by Lord Cromer to accept a
position in the Ministry of Finance, Cairo, he J°nlh
obtain from the Foreign Office hut few essential details
with regard to the post and that those that ho got
proved to he incorrect.
LORD EDWARD CECIL cited the complications that occurred in
the transmission from Cairo and the reception oy the
Foreign Office of telegrams dealing with Currency and
other important questions,
LORD
MILNER commented upon the inconvenience occasioned by
the necessity of the Financial Advisers having to come
over to England for Treasury work.
LORD CURZON thought that with
Protectorates the system
between London and those
of the Colonial Office.
regard to other British
of officials interchanging
Protectorates was a feature
ft