File of printed papers marked 'Egyptian negotiation' between Curzon and Adly Pasha and the Egyptian delegation [‎37r] (73/178)

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He maintained that there was no antagonism between Egyptian and Euro] e m
interests; there were 170,000 foreigners in Egypt, and commercial and agricultural
interests were divided between them and natives. All the banks were foreign
establishments, and Egypt needed foreigners to act as importing and exporting agents,
as managers of industries, and so on. Whole districts of Egypt were devoted to the
culture of sugar-cane, which was converted into sugar by a foreign company.
Lord (Jurzon said that he was unable to follow what Sidky Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. was arguing
against. Lord Milner had proposed a Financial Adviser ; the delegation objected, and
Lord Curzon now suggested a Financial Commissioner. Lord Milner proposed that
this officer should inherit the functions of the Commissioners of the Debt—to this
everyone agreed. Lord Milner proposed that the Financial Adviser should have a
consultative function ; convinced by the arguments of the Egyptian delegation, Lord
Curzon had dropped this proposal, and in its place he provided that the Financial
Commissioner should have access to the President of the Council ot Ministers and to
the Minister of Finance.
Sidky Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. said that he would enjoy these rights of access as he would inherit
them from the Commissioners of the Debt, who already possessed them.
Lord Curzon then enquired whv they objected.
Adly Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. said that Sidky Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. meant that it was not worth while going into
these details.
Sidky Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. said that it appeared to him that the functions assigned to the
Financial Commisdoner we!*e already provided for in the treaty, under which it was
clear that the Mixed Courts, the Financial and Judicial Commissioners and the
functions of the Caisse de la Dette should be continued ; consequently, Egypt would
have to pay for them.
Lord Curzon said that these were technical questions, with which he did not wish
to deal at present. '
Adly Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. enquired what exactly was meant by the phrase “ have access.”
Lord Curzon said that he would give them an illustration. When in India he
had set up a railway board to repb ce a Government department which was unsatis
factory An East India Company trading post. . He got one expert from England, another from India and a third from
elsewhere. These experts said that while they had been a department they could go
to the Viceroy, but now that they were a board they did not know whether the
Government would always be helpful or take notice of their recommendations. Lord
Curzon accordingly gave them access to himself. What did this mean ? Whenever
they were in trouble, not more than once every two or three months perhaps, and they
found themselves hung up in departmental red tape, the chairman had only to say that
he would go and see the Viceroy. Lord Curzon knew how departments could tie
people up in red tape, and they certainly meant to tie up the railway board, but by
giving them access to himself he was able to cut them free from all this entanglement.
Now, to turn to Egypt, he felt that there would be plenty of people only too anxious to
tie up the Financial Commissioner, and for that reason he gave him the right of access
to the Minister of Finance, and, failing relief in that quarter, he could go to the
President of the Council of Ministers.
Adly Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. said that a Financial Commissioner appointed after consultation
between the two Governments would be much too big a man to require assistance of
this kind.
Lord Curzon said that his sole object was to secure that the Financial Commissioner
should be really effective. He asked whether the provisions he had suggested would,
in Mr. Lindsay’s opinion, secure this.
Mr. Lindsay said that the Financial Commissioner should certainly have the right
of access, but he doubted whether or no this should be mentioned in the treaty. On
the other hand, he felt that some definite powers should be provided for him in the
treaty, and he thought that the very minimum had been stipulated in Lord Curzon’s
memorandum.
Adly Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. remarked that so far none of their reserves had been accepted.
Lord Curzon said that he did not quite know what Adly Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. was objecting to.
His only desire was to make the Financial Commissioner effective.
Adly Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. said that he had not really had time fully to think out the whole
question, but it did not appear to him that the Financial Commissioner would really
have enough to do.
Lord Curzon said that it was precisely this that he wished to avoid. He wished
him to do his own job and at the same time assist the Egyptian Government in their
financial administration. He went on to say that in this country every Cabinet