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‘Report for the Army Council on Mesopotamia. By Sir John P Hewett, GCSI, KBE’ [‎10v] (25/119)

The record is made up of 1 volume (53 folios, 5 maps). It was created in 1919. 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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12
Half the charges for roads and bridges would remain debitable to army funds. As explained above,
though they appear in the accounts of the Irrigation Department, they form no part of the expenditure
incurred on the agricultural scheme for 1918.
The Directorate of Local Resources.
25. It is now time to leave the arrangements made for producing the grain, and to turn to those made
for securing what was needed for the use of the army by the Director of Local Resources.
The duties of the Director of Local Resources were thus defined in General Routine Order No. 529,
dated the 18th August, 1917 :—
(1) The utilization of available local resources for the benefit of the Force, and, so far as military
exigencies will allow, in the interests of the civil population.
(2) Denying local resources of the country to the enemy, and drafting all rules for the working of
the Blockade by formations in the field.
(3) Preservation, for the use of the civil population, of a sufficient proportion of the local resources
of the country to meet their normal requirements, after the needs of the Force had been met.
(4) Regulation, as far as possible, of the price to the civil population of the local resources of the
country, whether by fixing rates, or by moving foodstuffs to areas in which there is a
scarcity. This includes control of such transport as is not taken over by the Force.
(5) Drafting the rules for the working of the Blockade by the civil authorities, in so far as it affects
local resources.
(6) Arrangements for the purchase, collection and despatch of such of the local resources of the
country as are required by the military authorities in other countries.
26. It was the duty then of the Director of Local Resources to take over the revenue grain from the
civil administration, to purchase bhusa and additional requirements of grain, to transport the grain to
where it was to be bagged, and the bhusa to where it was to be baled, and eventually to transport the
bagged grain, and the baled bhusa to the place where the Supply Department would take over charge of
them. The original estimate of expenditure by the Directorate of Local Resources in connection with
the 1918 harvest, other than that on the purchase of grain, was as follows :—
A.—Salaries, Rent, Wages, Contingencies
Rs.
.. 38,75,000
£ ■
(258,333)
B.—Buildings, Roads, Light Railways ..
.. 12,50,000
(83,333)
C.—Machinery, Weighing Machines
.. 16,27,000
(108,467)
D.—Bags
.. 25,00,000
(166,667)
E.—Transport
.. 45,50,000
(303,333)
Total ..
.. 138,02,000
(920,133)
Of this a sum of Rs. 22,71,833 (£151,455) representing one half of the expenditure on (B) and (C),
and one-third of that on (D) was to be debited to the 1919 harvest. The expenditure on the 1918 harvest
was thus estimated at Rs. 1,15,30,167 (£768,678). These estimates were regarded as not sufficiently
exact, and it was considered that they could be reduced. The Director was instructed to communicate
with the Financial Adviser and to work to lower figures. As regards the actual purchase of supplies
it was estimated that the surplus of 117,000 tons of grain and 150,000 tons of bhusa, which it was hoped to
obtain for the army after meeting the needs of the civil population, would cost, at an average of Rs. 120
(£8) per ton grain, and Rs. 25 (£lf) per ton bhusa, Rs. 1,77,90,000 (£1,186,000) in all.
27. No audited figures of the actual expenditure incurred by the Directorate of Local Resources
are at present available, not will they be obtainable for a considerable period. As a result of inquiries
which have been made by the Financial Adviser and the Audit Officer, estimated figures have been
obtained, which represent a rough maximum of the expenditure actually incurred.
This estimate is as follows :—
A. —Salaries, &c
B. —Buildings
C. —Machinery
D. —Bags
E. —Transport
Total
Rs.
£
.. 8,30,000
(55,333)
.. 2,62,000
(17,467)
.. 12,00,000
(80,000)
.. 11,00,000
(73,333)
.. 17,00,000
(113,333)
.. 50,92,000
(339,466)
The original estimate was of such a general character that it is not worth while to attempt any
comparison between it and the actual expenditure so far as it is ascertainable.
The Financial Adviser is of opinion that the absence of exact figures should not be considered as
entailing a radically defective system of accounts. It would be impossible on field service to require
each department to keep an accurate current account of services and supplies rendered to other depart
ments within the army, and accounts of this kind are not, in fact, prescribed.

About this item

Content

The volume contains an illustrated report, with maps, correspondence and statistical data included as appendices, for the Army Council on Mesopotamia [Iraq], prepared by Sir John Prescott Hewett for the War Office, dated 10 March 1919. The report focuses on: a) the administration and expenditure of agricultural and irrigation schemes put in place in Mesopotamia for 1918 and 1919, and administered by the Imperial Government; b) the extent to which expenditure on agriculture and irrigation schemes, charged against Imperial Army Funds, is necessary for the prosecution of war; c) infrastructure development in Mesopotamia (facilities at Basrah [Basra] port; railways; telegraphs, telephones and post; water supply; electrical and mechanical installations), and questions of their financial support through military and civil funds.

The appendices include: maps illustrating the scope and geographical detail of the agricultural and irrigation schemes; correspondence providing context into the circumstances surrounding the need for and implementation of the schemes; statistical data, including: irrigation scheme expenditure; capacity at Basrah port; valuation of the dockyard; admission rates for Indian troops and followers with scurvy for the years 1916, 1917 and 1918; valuation of telegraph apparatus, telephone lines.

Extent and format
1 volume (53 folios, 5 maps)
Arrangement

The report is divided into paragraphs numbered 1 through to 82, with paragraph subjects and page numbers provided in an index preceding the report (f 3v). A list of the appendices, numbered I through to XXVIII follows the report (f 35). Appendices I-IV are maps (ff 52-56), enclosed in the sleeve at the back of the volume.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 57; 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 file contains an original printed pagination sequence.

Written in
English in Latin script
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‘Report for the Army Council on Mesopotamia. By Sir John P Hewett, GCSI, KBE’ [‎10v] (25/119), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/35, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100035743856.0x00001a> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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