'Summary of correspondence relative to the administration of the Port of Basrah and measures for the control of the shipping traffic in Mesopotamia.' [‎16r] (31/134)

about as unsuitable as vehicle as it is possible to imagine; if a liundred
large lighters had been brought here at the beginning of the occupa
tion they w ould bave paid their cost many times over and I think
that a number of them should still be obtained. They can be built
in India, taken to pieces for shipment and put together here.
(/) Unsuitable jetties.
The jetties which l ave been built along the foreshore between the
Ordnance Department and the base hospital although admirably
fitted for a temporary emergency in the early elays of the occupa
tion are unsuitable for what may be called permanent work.
Proposed improvements in methods of work.
11. Destructive criticism is of little use unless followed by proposals for the
betterment of tilings.
The usual system in a commercial port is to pay well for supervision even
to the giving of "bonuses but to have as little to do as possible with time-working
in any shape or form. When a vessel arrives at a port and is berthed at wharf
a stevedore on behalf of the ship works the cargo on a tonnage rate an el takes it
from the ship hold and places it on the wharf. The Port Authority then takes
charge and employs coolies A term used to describe labourers from a number of Asian countries, now considered derogatory. on a tonnage basis to convey the goods to the sheds
and sort and stack them and finally the consignee employs cartmen on a tonnage
basis or by the trip to take the goods to their warehouses.
• Boating in the stream is done by a boating contractor, also on the tonnage
basis, and if the contractor wishes to make his business pay he must know where
each one of his beats is at any hour of the day or night.
12. The P. M. T. 0. in his A.-645, dated 4th March 1916, to I. G. C.,says the
ouestion of speeding vp the discharge of transports has been under consideration
for some time and he believes he is now in a position to improve matters by means
of arrangements made with Messrs. Gray, Mackenzie, and Messrs. Lynch Brothers.,
who will place the whole of their resources at his disposal.^ Unfortunately Captain
Huddleston gives no details whatever as to the nature of the arrangements^ made
and it is therefore impossible to discuss his scheme, but unless it is on a tonnage
basis or is working up to a tonnage basis it is hardly worth consideration.
13. There is no doubt that the right course to pursue is to enlist the services
of the local shipping firms ; and the proposal you made to me yesterday to hire
out to a firm Government tugs and boats, anel let a contract at so much per ton
for discharging cargo, is a reasonable basis on w^hich to frame a scheme.
14. What Captain Iluddleston terms speeding up discharge is known techni
cally as quick despatch," it conies first in a shipowner's mind (in this case
Government being the shipowner) and if we can make arrangements whereby a
transport can be despatched m five davs instead of fouiteen da^s, wc can ali'oi d
to be fairly liberal to a contractor.
15. It is difficult to say without trial what wrould be a fair rate to pay a
contractor or what constitutes really " quick despatch " as conditions are
different to what obtain at commercial ports and I believe some such arrangement
as follows will be necessary as a preliminary to letting a contract:—
(1) The contractor will undertake for one month to discharge all the sea
transports.
(2) He will be provided with the necessary boats and tugs.
(3) He will prewiele coe)lies.
(4) An accurate account must be kept of—
{a) The coolies A term used to describe labourers from a number of Asian countries, now considered derogatory. and boats used at each ship.
(b) The tonnage of cargo discharged.
(c) The actual number of working hours taken to discharge each ship.
At the end of the month the contractor will be paid his coolie A term used to describe labourers from a number of Asian countries, now considered derogatory. bills and a
percentage or rate per ton for superintendence and profit and a careful analysis