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'Correspondence relating primarily to individual Forces, and not (with some exceptions) of general interest. Force 'D' ' [‎216v] (32/42)

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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accept this position, the matter should he referred for the consideration of
His Majesty’s Government. In view, however, of the fact that the admini
strative control (which naturally included the linancial control) of the
occupied territory had already been vested in us by His Majesty’s Govern
ment (see your telegram dated the 16th December 1914), and of the
subsequent correspondence 1 on the
subject of the finances and accounts of
the territory, we thought it unnecessary
to refer to you the question of our
powers of control over the local Administration , and we simply reported the
facts to you in our Foreign and Political Department telegram, dated the
17th July 1916. We now submit, for your information, the complete papers
bearing on the subject.
1 Vide correspondence ending witli our
Finance Department Despatch No. 129,
dated the 26th May 1916.
5. The experience of the preceding 12 months had, however, convinced
us that it was desirable to give to the local authorities wide powers of
sanctioning expenditure in connection with the administration of the
occupied territory ; and, after discussion with the officer who had been
deputed by them to represent their views on the subject, we decided, subject
to your concurrence, to delegate to the Army Commander the powers of
sanction specified in enclosure No. 9, in respect of expenditure debitable
wholly to the revenues of the occupied territory. These powers are in
cerfain repects wider than those recently sanctioned by you for officers of a
similar status in India. But, in the present circumstances of the admini
stration of the occupied territoiy, it is, in our opinion, necessary and
desirable that the local authorities should be given full discretion in cerfain
directions and not have to refer to us on relatively unimportant matters on
which we are bound to be guided at present by their advice. This is
particularly the case as regards travelling allowances, in respect of which it
is not possible for us to control systematically the actions of the local
authorities without hampering to some extent the exigencies of the admini
stration. We may also observe, with reference to the wide powers proposed,
that it will always be open to our Comptroller and Auditor-General to call
our special attention to any case or question in connection with the exercise
of the ppyvers, where he thinks it necessary. With reference to Rule 5 of
the Rules, we may mention that this rule wall not give the Army Commander
any power to sanction political payments to non-officials, and that his powers
in this respect will be defined separately.
6 . We also examined, at the same time, the question of re-delegation to
subordinate authorities of the. powers delegated to the Army Commander.
Enclosure No. 10 of this Despatch gives the rules which we have framed in
this connection. Generally speaking, the maximum powers, which will be
delegated to these subordinate authorities, are not wider than those
sanctioned by you for authorities subordinate to Provincial Governments in
India, in your Despatch No. 51 (Financial), dated the 25th August 1916.
7. With reference to our telegram to you, dated the 17th July 1916, we
informed the Chief Political Officer, Basra, that he might act on the
assumption that the recommendations contained in that telegram would be
accepted. We have now communicated to the local authorities the orders
contained in your telegram of the 10th October 1916. 8
8 . As regards accounts and audit, we came to the conclusion that the
arrangement recommended by the local authorities in Sir Percy Cox’s letter 2
* Enclosures Nos. 7 and 8. ° f g* J ! m ® 1916 > a “ d Us memo-
randum 1 of the same date, which m
effect was that the Chief Political Officer should be the principal account
and audit officer for the occupied territory, would not supply a system
satisfactory either to His Majesty’s Government or the Government of India,
and strong exception was taken to it by our Comptroller and Auditor-
General. We accordingly decided to adhere mainly to our previous,
instructions on the subject. Under the system introduced by us, the Chief
Political Officer will collect all the accounts of the occupied territory. He

About this item

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' ' [‎216v] (32/42), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/18/D236, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100034397650.0x000021> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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