‘I/6 Saudi-Arabia Miscellaneous’ [‎19r] (37/96)

On the
engines one of ^6 and on^ of 16 H.j., intake pipe 3 H .
next biggest pool the Uram al KHii.-ftS, there are yet no engines and
there were wild duck among the reeds.
r xhe water is conducted by small cement lined cr stone built
conduits on to the fields. Tlxeyeare well built ctone Ma^sara, l.e.
places where there are sluices to permit the running off of the
water to the fields on either side at intervals.
;ovriftg first be* an a month ago. The first work was under
taken about 4 months ago. it receives the personal attention of
Abdullah hulaiman (Minister of finance), who is there at the
moment* There are some dosen Irakis - working farmers iind mechan
ics, anc if it is they who wrote the report which was xAiblished it
is no wonder it was not very technical or rewlly descriptive.
They are not Iraqi Oovernmont oerv inta but work'iaen , and doing
very well X should think. They seem immensely interested and keen
The water level decroaaod about a metre to atari with but now
always recovers its level a few hours afte* one engihe is turned
off. (The ’aborigines insist that the lovel rioes at the let*
and 15th. of the lunar month. Abdullah Auloiman could not confirm
but the King does so. It sr-em unlikely but < y pp^ rsr.tly is true).
The tractors known in ij?abic as ‘T)IH^CTOH w - (rather con
fusing at first when they began speaking of the amount of petrol
the director a on the estate drank. ) - are JdTddi American as
are the se ders and sterilizers. The lorries were :K ,.0. German*
■rops being grown or experimented v;it:i include v/Heat, barley,
sugar-bfeet and all the vegetables grown in Iraq* Two agricultural
exx>erts from California dniveroity are on there way out, having
b^n arranged for by the oil company, Q.a.-AC.C. he whole thing
ir rather impressive. The very regular lines of the dividing
bunks between the fields stretching away in th^ distance - the
activity - the tractors chugging their way across the scene* The
work at new springs and old wells* Afreae planted already with
/ thoutMinds