'Report and Proceedings of the Standing Sub-Committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence on the Persian Gulf' [‎15r] (34/94)

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VISCOUNT MORLEY: Our tonnage being 85 per cent, of the total.
LORD CURZON : I should not like straightway to say that our prestige must be
impaired by such an arrangement, which I think is well worthy of consideration.
VISCOUNT KITCHENER: It would have to be kept entirely on commercial
lines, and should not be political.
LORD CURZON : Of course.
SIR ARTHUR WILSON : Would it not be feasible to get into agreement with Navigation
the Turks as soon as possible now, because there will be no expenditure to speak of
until the trade really does develop, and that will be very many years yet. If we once get
an agreement with the Turks, we could set to work taking an annual survey and keeping
up the buoys, and doing all that small work which does not require the levying of fees
at all, or if there were any they would be extremely small. When that is once in Negotia-
working order, the other question and the bigger question of levying large fees and
having a Commission to settle it would only arise much later, when we had been
steadily doing it for a long time, and probably it would not be objected to in the same
way then, as we should have a sort of vested right.
SIR EDWARD GREY : You mean that we should leave that to the last?
SIR ARTHUR WILSON : Agree with the Turks as soon as possible as to having
a small Commission, with an engineer appointed mutually to look after the river and
make the annual surveys, and so on, the expense of which might very well be borne by
the two Governments as far as that goes. The expenditure would be extremely small.
That would go on until the railway is actually made, and until the trade increases.
Then when we are actually in possession it is much easier to let the thing simply go on
as it is, and it is not likely to raise any points of dispute.
VISCOUNT ESHER : What about Persia ?
SIR ARTHUR WILSON : We could look after Persia’s interests. We have_ got
to ensure Persia the right to the navigation to Mohammerah (Muhamrah), and it is
hardly necessary that she should come and do it.
SIR EDWARD GREY : We should never get from Persia at the present moment
delegated authority to look after her interests. They would make such a lot of fuss
about it. The Persians are not at all in a position to put their hand to anything at the
present moment, and they would not put their hand to that.
SIR ARTHUR WILSON : All we should do would be to say it is the duty of our
Representative to see that the navigation up to Mohammerah (Muhamrah) is kept
open.
SIR EDWARD GREY : I think our strongest ground in going to the Turks would
be what we have done about buoying and lighting all the way up the Shat-al-Arab now,
and the proportion of our shipping.
SIR ARTHUR WILSON : The enormous proportion of our shipping.
LORD CURZON : I think Admiral Wilson’s suggestion is a very important and
very useful one-I mean to keep the status quo as long you can ; and so long as the
status quo involves the Turks not being asked to pay, you know how willing they will
be to adopt that. Then later, if commerce develops and it is necessary, and il the
railway gets to Basra, have your International Commission to consider it then, but do
not propose it now.
SIR ARTHUR WILSON : Make your annual surveys and so on now, and put
their official on it and let them have a voice in appointing the engineer.
SIR EDWARD GREY : We will just say to them that if they want a 4 per cent
increase in the Customs dues, which will fall, m the first instance, on a large proportion o
British trade, we want in return a working agreement, with the object that the naviga
tion, the buoying and the lighting, shall be kept in proper order.
SIR ARTHUR WILSON : Yes.
[ 1054 ]