Coll 6/15 'Syria: Administration. Question of offer of throne to King Feisal of Iraq.' [‎117v] (234/497)

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These courts function well, and there is a tendency on the part of Syrian nationals
to include a foreigner in their partnerships with a view to taking advantage of
this form of jurisdiction. The judicial system is still incomplete and fails to
conform with article 6 of the Syrian mandate in regard to the rights of foreigners
in the administration of the laws of inheritance. Palestinians, Iraqis and
Transjordanians are not entitled to Mixed Courts jurisdiction. ^
6. The main source of revenue is customs dues, which, for the whole of th®
mandated territory, are pooled in a common fund administered by a central
administration, under the immediate supervision of the High Commissioner and
known as the “ Compte de gestion des services d’interet commun.” Receipts
are distributed on a quota basis to the Lebanon. Syria, the Gebel Druse, &c. The
co-efficient is calculated on estimates of consumption of imported products, the
per capita importation of the Lebanese being obviously higher than that of a
nomad Bedouin. Contributions to common expenditure, e.g., the share of the
mandated territory as a whole to the Ottoman public debt, are proportionate to
receipts. Such is the system in broad outline. The quotas are subject to revision,
and, needless to say, give occasion to invidious comparison. There are various
forms of direct taxation and municipal dues, adapted from the old Ottoman
regime. The Tobacco Monopoly was abandoned in favour of indirect taxation.
The local currency is linked with the French franc, but the Turkish gold pound
is frequently used as a basis for commercial transactions.
7. Syria has at last begun to feel the full effects of the general depression.
Great difficulty is experienced in collecting the taxes, and the number and salaries
of Government officials have been considerably reduced in order to balance the
budget. It is thought that the limit in this difection has now been reached and
that future economies will have to be effected in Public Works and similar
undertakings. There will doubtless be difficulties in grappling with the
unemployment problem. Not the least disquieting feature in the financial
situation is not only the complete cessation of remittances from abroad, but also
the return of impoverished emigrants claiming hospitality from relatives whom
they previously supported. The whole economic fabric o? the country has thus
been considerably shaken, and the full results have not yet been felt.
8. Syria is an agricultural country, but the margin of produce available for
export never having been a large one, the fall in world prices has not affected the
situation as much as in some other countries. On the other hand, two successive
years of drought have been disastrous. Attempts have recently been made to
establish the local manufacture of certain commodities previously imported, but
commerce, generally, is at a standstill. The laying down of the pipe-lme from
Mosul is absorbing a certain amount of labour, but has not added materially to
the prosperity of the country.
9. In the matter of public education the French have taken the greatest
interest, and the propagation of the French language, initiated long before the
war by religious institutions, has been vigorously pursued by the lay administra
tion. The high schools for medicine and law are believed to* be excellent. Nearly
200 young Syrians are completing their studies in France, where they are placed
under the supervision of an inspector. It remains to be seen whether it will be
possible to absorb these highly-educated young men and how they will react to
unemployment.
10. The public health services appear well organised, and there is now an
ample supply of good drinking-water. The police are no more inept than in most
countries.
11. The nomad (Bedouin) tribes are subject to a special regime in regard to
administration of justice, taxation, customs, and penetration into foreign
territory. The latter has rendered necessary special agreements with Turkey,
Iraq, Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan and Palestine, and a close co-operation should exist between
the various officials of the countries concerned in the settlement of tribal disputes
and cognate matters. Minor friction between rival tribes and between the latter
and the sedentary population appear to have been less acute of recent years. On
the other hand, the diminishing demand for camels, followed by an increase in
sheep production, together with the recent droughts, and consequent shortage of
pasturage, are likely to render the encroachments of the tribes on cultivated
territory a menace which may prove difficult to handle, in spite of determined and
praiseworthy efforts on the part of the French Administration to improve the
water supply in the desert. The traditional antagonism between the two most