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'Correspondence relating primarily to individual Forces, and not (with some exceptions) of general interest. Force 'D' ' [‎216r] (31/42)

The record is made up of 1 file (21 folios). It was created in Sep 1918. 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. .

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I elegram No. 117 G., dated tlie
18th February 191-5. (Enclosure No. 1.)
It Will be seen from these papers that in February 1915, 1 in connection
itii a demand from us for estimates of
revenue and expenditure of tlie admin-
rtm'que S tho™of°the“o'^l,f xp ( c f ionar y force ™ Mesopotamia.
vestal ^i^lhe^O ivpr 0n ^ r °t °r f le p < ^ I1 ' IInistra ( 011 - This control had been
ieTel «r O the U n e °, M'a/tnder the orders contained in vour
tele^iam ol the 10 th December 1914, and, m view of the responsibilities
imposed on them as trustees of His Majesty’s Government thev felt li abie
5vitiiout mature consideration after experience had been gained of the
requirements of the new Administration, to make any formal delegatL of
hnancial powers to the General Officer Commanding, other than thofe which
LzTs ss tz ei }w rt a T a of the FieM s---
ecoimts manual (War). But instructions were issued to the Field
ControUer of Military Accounts, Force “ 0 ,” to audit the receipts and
c larges of the administered territory. In practice, however, the local
authorities submitted portions of their accounts respectively to the Field
Controller and to the Comptroller, India Treasuries, while "in the case of
Accounts officer 1167 dlJ render any acc0,ults a »y regular
wns I t 1 rn 4 S * * ? P / emb i e ! J 915 ' the l > anki ‘ig business of the Administration at Basra
was transferred to the local branch or the Eastern Bank and a treasury was
also established at Basra for dealing with the accounts of the Administration
I his treasury, like similar institutions in India, had, of course, no audit
functions its duties being mainly confined to the preparation of a proper
record ot the receipts and payments of the Administration for submission to
the Accounts department.
3. In February 1916, the Central Controller of War Accounts, who had
been entrusted with the task of adjusting the receipts and charges of the
Administration, discovered that complete accounts were not being rendered
to any Acconnts officer of the Government of India, and he asked the Chief
lohtical Officer, Basra, to send him statements of complete receipts and
charges, together with such accounts as had not alreadv been rendered to
the Accounts department of the Government of India. Simultaneously
Sir I ercy C ox proposed m his telegram of the 1.7th February 191(5, 2 that the
2 Enclosure No. 3. Chief Political Officer at Basra should
,• j i invested with full authority to
dispose, under the Army Commander’s general control, of the accounts of
the administered territories. We were unable to accent, the suggestion
w ich 5vas incompatible with a proper discharge by us of the responsibilities
imposed on us by His Majesty’s Government in respect of the administration
ot the occupied territory; and in our Foreign and Political Department
3 Enclosure No. 4 . l e \ ter , No - 577 Est. B., dated the
p i-,- ™ .. . ^ Ah April 1910, 3 we asked the Chief
1 optical Officer to submit the accounts of the Administration to the Central
ui Conti oiler for audit and adjustment. Before arriving at this decision,
we carefully considered, in consultation 5 vith our Comptroller and Auditor-
General, the question of the machinery for dealing 5 vith the audit and
adjustment of these accounts ; and 5ve came to the conclusion that the best
5 voi kable arrangement, at any rate for some time to come, 5 vould be to
entrust the whole work to the Central War Controller. As you are aware,
5 ve had about that time decided to withdraw the bulk of the Military
Accounts staff employed in connection 5 vith the accounts of Force “ D ” from
Basra to Poona ; and the staff left at Basra would have been unable to deal
efficiently with the accounts of the occupied territory.
4. Later on, in June 1916, 5 ve received from the Chief Political Officer,
Basra, the communication and the memorandum, which form, respectively'
enclosures Nos. 7 and b ot this Despatch. In these t 5 vo documents, the local
authorities pressed on us the vie5v that the supreme financial control o\ T er
the occupied territories vested, under international law, in the Commander
of the Army of Occupation, subject to the advisory control of His Majesty’s
Government, and asked that, if the Government of India 5 vere unable to

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Content

This file is labelled as the 'September 1918 Supplement to Volume III' (Volume III was issued in May 1917), and contains copies of correspondence relating to military expenditure and Basra administration by Expeditionary Force D. A contents page at the front of the file (folios 202-204) details the date, sender, recipient and subject of each letter. The correspondence is then arranged chronologically within two categories: 'Military Expenditure' (folios 205-215) and 'Basra Administration' (folios 215-221.) The most frequent correspondents in the file are 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. , the War Office, the Controller of War Accounts and the Viceroy.

Extent and format
1 file (21 folios)
Arrangement

The file opens with a contents page (ff 202-204). The correspondence is then arranged chronologically within two categories: 'Military Expenditure' (ff 205-215) and 'Basra Administration' (ff 215-221).

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 201, and terminates at f 221, as it is part of a larger physical volume; 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.

Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.

Written in
English in Latin script
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'Correspondence relating primarily to individual Forces, and not (with some exceptions) of general interest. Force 'D' ' [‎216r] (31/42), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/18/D236, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100034397650.0x000020> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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