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The record is made up of 1 volume (76 folios). It was created in Feb 1919. It was written in English. 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
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Mesopotamia! ECONOMIC PKN K 1 HA 1 ION
105
made perfectly successful headway against it. 1 he
German line began operations with everything against
it. It had no large contracts to support it. The
British lines, on the other hand, had the assistance oi
large Manchester freight contracts, a large Marseilles
sugar-carrying trade, the carrying trade w T ith India,
the mail contract, and a highly profitable pilgrim
traffic.
Sir George Lloyd's report attributes the German suc
cess to State organization of production and transit,
and in particular to the so-called " through rate
system.'' The methods pursued are as follows:—
During the early years of the invasion of any area
a direct subsidy is given by the German Government to
the German line, sufficient to enable it to cut rates and
underquote its competitors throughout the area. It can
thus draw away traffic from competing lines, and also
flood the invaded markets with cheap German goods.
The line works in connection with a trading house
established in the invaded area. This house arranges
for the distribution and sale of cargoes which come
unconsigned, and collects export by means ol a low
rate of return freight. The object of all this is to per
suade the competing lines to enter into a rate agree
ment. As soon as this has been secured, the German
direct subsidy is replaced by an indirect subsidy sys
tem, known as the " through-rate system, which is
designed to enable shipping companies ostensibly to
observe their rate agreement, but in practice to under
quote their rivals whenever they choose. As the out
come of a scientific organization of land and sea
transit, through-rates can be quoted for the whole jour-
nev, and if necessary a reduction is made on the freight
charges over that part of the journey which is not
affected by the agreement {e-.cj., on the railway charges
for conveying the goods to the port of loading). If
there is any loss on the working out of the transaction
as a whole it is apportioned as between the State Rail
ways and the Shipping Company to that part of the
transit which can carry it without injury. Thus, while
About this item
- Content
This volume is a confidential handbook on Mesopotamia prepared under the direction of the Historical Section of the Foreign Office, dated February 1919. There is a table of contents which includes the following chapters:
- I: 'Geography Physical and Political', including 'Position and Frontiers', 'Surface, Coast and River Systems', 'Climate', 'Sanitary Conditions', 'Race and Language' and 'Population';
- II: 'Political History', including 'Chronological Summary', 'Introduction', 'Early period of Turkish Occupation, 1638-1834', 'Later period of Turkish Occupation, 1834-1914', and 'Commercial Developments';
- III: 'Social and Political Conditions', including 'Religious', 'Political', 'Public Education' and 'General Observations';
- IV: 'Economic Conditions', including 'Means of Communication', 'Industry', 'Commerce', 'Finance' and 'General Remarks'.
There is also an appendix which includes tables of 'Exports to Principal Countries from Baghdad', 'Imports from Principal Countries to Baghdad', 'Principal Exports from Basra' and 'Principal Imports to Basra'. This is followed by a section entitled 'Authorities' which is a bibliography of references used for the preparation of the volume. This section is divided into 'Historical' (including 'Confidential Sources'), 'Economic' ('Official' and 'General') and 'Maps'. There is a pocket at the back of the volume to house maps, but there are no maps present.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (76 folios)
- Physical characteristics
Pagination: The volume contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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'Mesopotamia' [58r] (115/152), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/C190, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023514036.0x000074> [accessed 4 August 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/20/C190
- Title
- 'Mesopotamia'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:75v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence