Printed papers on the political situation and military policy in Egypt [‎39v] (78/176)

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having to give way to urgent military traffic and to transport of food supplies and
cotton.
63. All these difficulties wen; rapidly overcome by the practical experience of
the board, aided by the cordial co-operation of the military authorities, the Railways
Administration, and the Shipping Board.
64. During the course of the 1917-18 season— Tons.
the board shipped ... ... ... ... 312,000
and delivered to local crushers .. 112,000
424.000
65. The same regime was applied to the 1918-19 crop. The smooth working
of the scheme was greatly facilitated during this season by the experience acquired
in the previous year, and also by close co-operation with the Cotton Control
Commission (formed in June 1918), of which Mr. Hornsby was appointed Deputy-
Chairman.
66. During the 1918-19 season— Tons.
shipments amounted to ... .. ... 238,000
and deliveries to local mills, to .. ... 94,000
332,000
67. The control of cotton seed was abolished on the 14th July, 1919. Its utility
during the two seasons of its operation may be gauged bv the fact that, within a
fortnight of the release, local quotations had risen, under the impulse of speculation,
by 150 per cent.
68. The Cotton Seed Control Board carried out with complete success, under
very difficult conditions, a task of considerable magnitude and complexity. The
board has recently completed its liquidation, which occasion affords me the
opportunity of paying a tribute to the public spirit of its members in devoting their
high technical ability and experience, and a large part of their time, to the carrying
out of a long and arduous task which was of considerable service to His Majesty’s
Government.
18. Zionist Immigration through Egypt.
69. The disturbed situation at the end of April and early in May 1921 led
the Palestine Administration, at the beginning of the latter month, to close the
frontiers to immigration.
70. Considerable embarrassment was caused by this measure to the police and
port control authorities of the Egyptian Government. When immigration was
suspended, a large number of Zionist immigrants were actually at sea, and duly
arrived shortly afterwards at Egyptian ports, on their way to Palestine via Kantara.
The closing of the frontier prevented them completing their journey, and they could
not be permitted to land in Egypt and remain there indefinitely. The immigrants
were therefore not permitted to disembark, except in a few cases for the purpose
of transhipment, and after some little difficulty with the shipping companies
concerned, those who had arrived in Egypt were returned to their ports of departure
at the expense of the Zionist organisation.
71. When immigration into Palestine was subsequently reopened, under certain
specified conditions, the bulk of this traffic continued to pass through Egyptian, as
opposed to Palestinian, ports. This fact gave rise to criticism in Egypt from the
political point of view, while the Public Health Department more than once pointed
out the potential danger to Egypt of the spread of epidemics, since a proportion
of the Zionist immigrants originated from the typhus-infected areas of Eastern
and South-Eastern Europe. I laid these considerations before the Administration
of Palestine, who reported in a despatch dated the 30th August that instructions
were being given for the diversion of the stream of immigrants from Egyptian
to Palestinian ports, with the possible exception of small parties of Jews travelling
as passengers to Palestine, who it was hoped would be allowed to pass through
Egyptian territory as before.
72. The Palestine Administration, however, failed to give effect to the
instructions referred to above. The number of Jews who passed through Egypt
during the period the 24th September to the 15th November was 418, while the
figure from the 21st November to the 25th December reached 432, or nearly double
the rate for the two preceding months.
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