'Summary of correspondence relative to the administration of the Port of Basrah and measures for the control of the shipping traffic in Mesopotamia.' [‎47r] (93/134)

-'9
efficiency for many years. This Is given in Appendix " B to this report ; we
also append a statement of the existing staff at the Dockyard, Appendix " C
and we would observe that when the Dockyard is established on a more or less
permanent basis, we think it would possibly add to efficiency, if a number of the
Commissioned Officers were replaced by a few practical foremen, who are
specialists in repair work.
Repair shops on lines of communication.
35. The Main Dockyard, whether for a military expedition or a commer
cial trading company must be at the ba e or sea port, unless there are over
whelming objections to the contrary and as little work as possible should be
done at intermediate stations : the conveying of workshop appliances and men
and materials up country by river steamers their own repairs being opposed to
all principles of efficient administration.
Small shops for pretty repairs such as have been formed at Amarah and
Nasiriyah, are all that are necessary.
There was at one time, a proposal to build a slipway at Amarah for vessels
which, during the low water season, oould not get down to Basrah, but such
a scheme, does not commend itself to our judgment. Repairs to rudders,
accidents to which were a fruitful source of trouble can, as a rule, be done without
the docking of the vessel and for the rest a small repair shop is all that is
necessary.
Conclusion.
36. The great difficulty in designing the new dockyard has been to decide
how far to look forward.
The present urgent necessity of the military situation may .have ceased
before the new ships are built or before the new vessels on order have arrived,
but obviously that cannot be taken into account. We have taken the situation
as we find it and have certainly not erred on the side of extravagence, when it is
borne in mind that the vessels in commission and on order constitute what is
probably the largest river fleet the world has ever seen.
If the scheme outlined in this report is approved, we recommend that
Major Alexander, the Officer in Charge of Repair Workshops, be instruct
ed to work out the details and prepare an approximate estimate.
We say advisedly " approximate " because under present conditions in
Mesopotamia and the fluctuation in price of plant and macninery at Home, it is
not possible to prepare an estimate of the accuracy which would be required
under ordinary circumstances.
The order for the slipways may, however, be placed at once.
GEO. C. BUCHANAN, Colonel,
Director General of Port Administration
and River Conservancy.
R. A. HORNE, Major,
Basrah ; ")
> Consulting Engineer for Dockyard
28th July igi6. ) Construction and Maintenance oj River Fleet*