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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' [‎83v] (177/1068)

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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on developing an efficient army and improving strategic communication. As
regards railways, the natural tendency would seem to be towards the develop
ment of the north to south line and the anti-British bias which Persian politics
have taken since the War would tend to discourage the strengthening of economic
links with territory under British influence.
(c) India seems out of the question as a possible source of commercial traffic. "
The productive areas of India do not lie near the Persian frontier and Punjab
wheat finds its natural outlet at Karachi, to which port it is sent by rail at
favourable rates. . . ... , ...
It is obvious that the through railway rates which it will be possible to fix
will in the great majority of cases, depend on the costs involved in adopting the
alternative through route by sea. The through rates by the Haifa-Baghdad
railway must then be conditioned by the prevalent sea freight rates; sea freights
are abnormally low at present 5 and it looks as if the\ would continue at a low ■
level for a considerable time to come. Nor can the constant pressure for a reduc
tion of the Suez Canal dues be neglected in considering this problem.
It mav be added that one important question remains to be solved, viz., the
provision of an adequate water supply. In the leport of the^ Survey made ifi I
1930-31, the Consulting Engineers remark (p. 146) that “ the sources of
adequate and economic supplies cannot be determined until trial bores have been
made to the water-bearing strata and the yield thereof ascertained.
20. Moreover, it is impossible to ignore the general modern trend in favour
of road communications, rather than rail, or to resist the conclusion that in this |
particular area road communication across the desert is essential, and that, as
time goes on, there will be an increased use of road facilities. There is already |
a track from Baghdad to Amman and a mail service by that route has been
organised The importance of trans-desert road communications between
Baghdad and Haifa was strongly emphasized in the course of preliminary
negotiations regarding transit facilities and trade relations with Iraq which
took place in June 1933 between members of the Iraq delegation to the World
Economic Conference and Officials of the Palestine Government. |
Proposals for an experimental development of such trade have, in fact, been j
made by the Iraqi Government on the basis of a road from Baghdad to Haiia,
where the Iraqi Government would have a ' ‘ free zone ; and in conversation 1
in London in 1933 Yasin Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , Minister of Finance, referred to an experiment
of this nature lasting three years, and stated that, pending the outcome oi this
experiment, the Iraqi Government would not be disposed to commit themselves
in any way to the railway scheme.
21. In 1933 the High Commissioner for Palestine and 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 gave
an unofficial expression of his personal views to the following effect: He afi
gathered from conversation with King Feisal that, while anxious that a .^ al ^?b
should be constructed from Baghdad to Haifa, the King would consider
question of running the railway to Tripoli if he could not get good terms ioi
Haifa route. He, however, admitted frankly that all his Ministers, and as
the British Director of the Iraq railways, were opposed to the construction q
the railway, because they considered that a road would suffice for all tra _
requirements. The King also admitted that while the railway nll ^yJ n Sa
£ 8.000,000, a first-class road could be made for less than £l,0dy ,
Incidentally, Sir Arthur Wauchope had gathered from another source that ^
capital required for the railway was not likely to be available before !&> .
1935. The view which he has been disposed to take is that the construction ^
a road rather than a railway would be in the best interests of Palestine. He
not elaborated the argument, but, apart from the question of finance, he men 10
briefly the points (1) that, if a road is decided upon, it will certainly 1 T. n .,
Haifa, not to Tripoli; (2) that a road could be completed quickly, so that Ha
would benefit at once; and (3) that there would be the incidental advantage t
what is perhaps a minor but none the less a difficult question, i.e., the gang >
would not arise. . • ; on
There is reason to believe that Sir Arthur Wauchope remains of the op
indicated above and is in any case not favourably inclined to any contribu
from Palestine funds towards the cost of construction.
iiPi

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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' [‎83v] (177/1068), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2851, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100076591287.0x0000b2> [accessed 6 May 2024]

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