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Coll 17/7(1) 'Iraq and Palestine: agreement for transit through Palestine of goods to and from Iraq; Baghdad-Haifa railway' [‎82v] (175/1068)

The record is made up of 1 volume (524 folios). It was created in 23 Apr 1929-23 Apr 1936. It was written in English and French. 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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that however desirable the railway would be. it cannot be said to be a strategical
necessity, because with modern methods of road transport it would be possible at
a cost which would be insignificant in comparison with that of a railway so to
improve the existing track from Amman to Dhibban that it could be used at any
season for conveyance of essential supplies from Haifa in an emergency. The
conclusions of the Air Staff are summarised as follows
1; The Air Staff are satisfied that the metalled road which is being
constructed bv the Iraq Government from Baghdad to Dhibban will
form an adequate link with the railway system cf Iraq, both during
the construction of the Air Base and when it is occupied.
{’2} That, to meet the contingency of unsettled conditions in Iraq, it is
essential when the Air Base is completed tnat tnere snould be available
a line of communication with Palestine. ||i
(3) While thev see no reason to modify the view expressed bv the Chiefs of
Staff in 19“2S as to the great value of the Haifa-Baghdad railway, they
are of opinion that the development of the motor track from Amman
to Dhibban is in any event essential, not only owing to the doubt when
the railway will become available, but also as an adjunct to the rail-
wav when it is constructed/’
E con&m w Consid eration s.
(i) Arguments for.
14. On more general grounds, it may perhaps be argued that the construe
tion of the railway would contribute very largely to the material prosperity of
the territories through which it would pass. Iraq is potentially an important
agricultural country. Its resources remain undeveloped primarily owing to lack
of capital, but also owing to the absence of means of rapid communication with
the European markets. The prosperity of a country is very largely dependent
upon efficient communications, and once the products of Iraq can be transported
to Europe cheaply and quickly, the capital for their development should be forth
coming. The possible benefits of the railway to Palestine have also to be
considered. Assuming the development of sufficient traffic, the port of Iiaifa
would become the chief port of import and export on the eastern Mediterranean,
and the terminal of a railway sy stem which might one day extend far beyond the
borders of Iraq through Persia to India; a system, moreover, which would follow
a traditional trade route and would tap countries of great potential wealth.
Haifa would become not only a great oil port, but also the centre of an important
entrepot trade with Iraq, Persia and the Far East.
15. If means could be found to secure the placing of orders in this countn
struct ion of the railwav would materia! !v benefit the heaw industries and
the construction of the railway would materially benefit the heavy indu
be an important contribution to the relief of unemployment. The Consulting
Engineers have estimated that, on this assumption, the construction of the
railway would lead to consequential expenditure in this country, including sea
freight, of between £2,900,000 and £2,300,000 according to the gauge and weight
of rail adopted.
16. Again, a railway from Haifa to Baghdad would act as a feeder to the
Iraqi railway system, in which His Majesty’s Government, as holders of 275 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
of rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. of preferred stock, retain a substantial capital interest. It is arg
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once the extension to Mosul has been constructed, that some of the produce of that
rich agricultural district would probably be sent down bv rail to Baghdad tor
transport to the Mediterranean at Haifa, in order that it should reach European
markets before the produce of America and Russia. Furthermore, the importa
tion of European goods into Persia and the export of Persian products to Europe
should lead to greatly increased traffic along the Baghdad-Khaniqin section ot
the Iraqi railways; and in so far as the trans-desert railway might be used to
escape the payment of Suez canal dues on goods destined for the East, the line to
Basra would benefit. The result of all this additional traffic, it might be urged,
should be substantially to increase the likelihood of His Majesty's Government
j-eceiving interest upon their capital holding in the Iraqi railway' system.
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About this item

Content

The volume contains correspondence, reports and minutes regarding road and rail transport through Iraq, Trans-Jordan [Jordan], Palestine, Syria and Iran. The following topics are discussed in detail:

  • The proposed construction of a Baghdad-Haifa rail route. The file also includes records regarding the planned transfer of the Iraqi Government Railway from British to Iraqi control.
  • Transport developments and trade routes in Syria, and economic competition between French- and British- mandated territories in the region.
  • Proposals for the development of free zones at the port in Haifa, for Iraqi and Persian [Iranian] goods. This includes discussion of customs dues, and facilities to be offered to foreign governments.
  • Proposals by Haim Effendi Nathaniel, the Iraqi Railways Canvassing Agent, for facilities to assist in the development of a trans-desert motor route between Iraq and Palestine, and the right to carry Iraqi mails via the Amman ['Ammān] route.
  • Customs and Trade Agreements between French-mandated territories and Iran.

The principal authors and correspondents are: HM High Commissioner for Palestine; HM High Commissioner for Iraq; the Foreign Office Eastern Department; the Secretary of State for the Colonies; HM Minister at Tehran; and the Committee of Imperial Defence, Standing Ministerial and Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East. The volume also contains a small number of communications received from the Government of Iraq.

The volume contains the following items of note:

  • Minutes of a meeting between the Iraqi Treasurer and Haim Effendi Nathaniel, regarding the Baghdad-Haifa Desert Motor Route, held on the 18 January 1933, ff 425-428.
  • Records of a meeting between the Treasurer, the Iraqi Delegation, and the Director of Customs at Palestine, regarding the proposed free zone facilities at Haifa for Iraqi goods, and the establishment of terminal facilities and a preferential tariff, ff 371-392.
  • Draft minutes of a meeting of the Committee of Imperial Defence, Standing Ministerial and Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East, held Monday 17 July 1933, regarding: 1) the proposed pipeline from the British Oil Development Company's concession near Mosul to the Mediterranean, and 2) the Trans-Desert Railway from Baghdad to Haifa. Plus related despatches received from Baghdad, Aleppo and Beirut, notes on the strategic value of the Baghdad-Haifa railway by the Secretaries of State for Air and War, ff 326-357.
  • Communication from the High Commissioner for Iraq (Francis Henry Humphrys) to the Foreign Secretary (John Simon), summarising the development of road and rail transport routes between Iraq, Syria and Palestine from 1925-1934, ff 247-249.
  • English translation of the Decree of the French High Commissioner in Syria, 'Governing the Regime of Customs Exemptions granted to Transdesert Transport Concerns maintaining regular services of the transport of international transport goods', ff 222-236.
  • Minutes of meetings of the Committee of Imperial Defence, Standing Ministerial and Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East, held 11 and 23 October 1934, regarding the proposed Baghdad-Haifa route, ff 139-177, 90-107, and 70-89.
  • Memorandum on the Baghdad-Damascus desert route, prepared by the Commercial Secretary to the Baghdad Embassy, 1935, ff 5-10.

The volume also contains a proposal by the Palestine Corporation Limited to construct a highway connecting Palestine and Iraq, found at folios 14-30. This proposal is discussed in depth in the second part of the file, IOR/L/PS/12/2852.

The volume includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. This is placed at the end of the correspondence (folio 1).

Extent and format
1 volume (524 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in rough chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 526; these numbers are written in pencil, 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. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the two leading and ending flyleaves. A previous foliation sequence has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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Coll 17/7(1) 'Iraq and Palestine: agreement for transit through Palestine of goods to and from Iraq; Baghdad-Haifa railway' [‎82v] (175/1068), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2851, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100076591287.0x0000b0> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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