'Reports on (1) the Conservancy of the Shatt-el-Arab river from the Port of Basra to the Persian Gulf and on (2) the Development of the Port of Basra. By Sir George Buchanan Kt., C.I.E' [‎13r] (29/62)

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in the sheds and the ability of consignees to take delivery are taxed to their
uttermost in endeavouring to keep pace with the actual discharging operations.
The most general remedy is to build double-storey transit sheds or warehouses
in the vicinity of the wharves, where goods can be stored and removed by consignees
at their leisure, either to their own premises or to the railway goods stations.
For export trade the operations are reversed or in some cases, as at Rangoon,
it may be more suitable to load in mid-stream from barges than alongside a wharf.
(15) It is absolutely essential that a port should possess ample foreshore accom- Poreshore
modation. I have, during my professional career, seen nearly every port with aceommodatlon
which I have been connected hampered because land—and especially foreshore
land—had not been acquired for the port when it was available at a comparatively
reasonable price.
In Rangoon, the Port Commissioners had to raise loans amounting to several
hundred thousand pounds to purchase land which could have been acquired for a few
thousand pounds in the early days of the port; and the prosperity of the Bombay
Port Trust is largely due to their foresight in acquiring land.
I have already indicated to the Chief Political Officer, Indian Expeditionary
Force " D," the land that in my judgment should be acquired for the purposes of the
Port of Basra, and I have attached great importance to the acquisition of Messrs.
Lynch Brothers' property and dock which is not only in the centre of the stretch
of foreshore marked out for the new wharves, but owing to its projection into the
river seriously interferes with the currents causing dangerous swirls and eddies. ■
(16) In the days of Turkish rule, although there was a certain amount of Accommodation
at Basra
the War.
trade, there were no port facilities. All sea-going vessels lay at their anchors in at Basra before
the stream, and imports for Basra were discharged into country boats and landed
at the customs house, where goods for Baghdad were shipped into river steamers
and fiats and taken up the river on a through bill of lading A document confirming the goods which a ship has received. . Exports, consisting
largely of dates, were collected in country boats at various points on the river and
thereafter shipped into sea-going vessels. Under the conditions that existed, it is
surprising that the volume of trade reached what it did, and the cost of freight,
handling and carriage of piece goods and other imports by the time they reached
Baghdad must have been considerably more than need have been the case.
(17) For commercial purposes accommodation will require to be provided Port works and
r . accommodation
for ; required at Basra
z . mi • ii "j after the War
(a) The ocean import trade,
(b) The ocean export trade.
(c) Inland vessels' trade,
(d) Trade with Ahwaz.
(e) Miscellaneous private trades and occupations requiring a river frontage.
With the development of trade, there will obviously be a demand first and fore
most for deep-water wharves alongside which vessels can discharge their goods, and
warehouses where they can be stored. Plan No. 1 accompanying this report phews
the latest survey of the Shatt-el-Arab within the harbour area, from which it will
be seen that the most suitable locality for deep-water wharves is at Margil, 5 miles
above the Ashar Creek and the customs house. Here ij miles of deep-water
frontage are available, and I have indicated in red lines on the plan a proposed