'Summary of correspondence relative to the administration of the Port of Basrah and measures for the control of the shipping traffic in Mesopotamia.' [‎61v] (122/134)

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(d) Director of Sea Transport.
This officer will have general control of the arrival and departure of ocean
going ships, and will conduct all^ correspondence with the Marine authorities in
India.
(e) Superintendent of the Dockyard.
To be a senior and experienced engineer officer, assisted by an executive Staff
Officer, directly under the superior control of the Principal Marine Iransport
Officer, and the supervision of the Chief Inspecting Engineer.
3. The diagram (Appendix No. 1) shows in graphic form the organisation,
detailed in the preceding paragraph, with the subordinate branches resulting,
therefrom, while Appendix No. 2 gives the outline of the duties of the subordinate
branches.
4. The Committee wish especially to dwell on the importance to provide fully
for the Directors and other assistants, without which the large fleet now preparing
cannot be efficiently controlled. So far as Directors are concerned the Deputy
Principal Marine Transport Officer and the Assistant Principal Marine Iransport
Officer can be most suitably employed as Director of Personal Services and the
Director of Port Services, respectively. In the case of the rest of the supervising
staff required, as distinct from officers of vessels, the Committee recognise that it is
probable that sufficient permanent officers of the Royal Indian Marine may not be
forthcoming, but feel sure that among the various officers temporarily commissioned
there will be found several of administrative capacity, whose places in the ships
can be taken by new arrivals, or if not that the Director, Royal Indian Marine, and
the 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. should have no difficulty in bringing in from outside, as the Army
and Navy have so largely done in the present campaign, sufficient temporarily
commissioned officers to fill whatever vacancies are necessary.
5. The Committee further wish to place on record that as the fleet increases
certain of the Directorates, notably those of the Personal Services and River
Transport, will require to expand their sections by the increase of their sub-divisions
corresponding with the increase of the fleet and personnel to the controlled.
1. {i) The Committee now turn to the second part of their Reference, i.e.,
the best method of utilising the existing and forthcoming -craft. The Director
of River Transport and the Inspectror General of Communications have already
had considerable experience on this matter, and their practice for some time past
now has been to group the fleet on such portions of the river as may best suit its
capacities.
(ii) The Tigris, the Euphrates and the Shatt-al-Arab are all rivers of widely
differing characteristics, while the Tigris itself differs considerably in character on
various parts of its course,
(Hi) \ s regards the Tigris alone, speaking generally, the most satisfactory work
ing when the power of the steamers will admit cf it, is the through course from Basrah
to the fndituw fiont. This, however, is limited to the fact that all paddle boats,
when traversing the " Narrows " must tow barges on either side to protect then-
paddles. The following is the practice !—*
{a) Paddle, twin-screw, and single-screw vessels that are capable of doing so
work on the through trip,
(?>) Weaker boats that cannot tow barges work on the reaches above Amarah.
(c) To save tonnage, certain small sea-going boats also work up to Qurnah
on the Shatt-al-Arab to feed the native craft service on the Euphrates
and Tigris. For the convenience of oil fueling the Naval motor
lighters work from Basrah or Qurnah to Amarah only.
Id) To avoid an unduly long round trip, native craft on the Tigris work to
Amarah, there making deposits of reserves of stores, which are
transferred by surplus steamers to the Tigris front.
(e) Owing to the shallowness of the water on the Euphrates, and pending
the eventual dredging of the Hammar Lake, the major poi l Iou of