Printed papers on the political situation and military policy in Egypt [‎56v] (112/176)

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Farm Schools.
314. The unsatisfactory condition of the Farm Schools in general has obliged
the Ministry to appoint a Committee of Enquiry, which has recommended that the
Farm Schools, having failed in their object, should be abolished and replaced by two
gardening schools, under the direct control of the Ministry of Agriculture.
315. The following table shows the number of pupils at each of these harm
Schools on the 31st December, 1921 :—
School.
1st Year.
2nd Year.
3rd Year.
Total.
Samanad
.. 25
18
27
70
Mansura
15
7
14
33
Beni Suef
19
11
18
48
Nag Hamadi
11
9
13
33
Chapter IV.— Public Works.
49. Personal.
316. In the summer of 1921 Sir Murdoch MacDonald, K.C.M.G., C.B., M.P.,
tendered his resignation, having been Under-Secretary of State, with no Adviser,
from 1912 to 1916. Adviser and Under-Secretary of State from 1917 to 1920, and
Adviser since that time. He had been associated with a number of the irrigation
works which have distinguished the latter half of the period of the British occupa
tion, and the acceptance of his proposals for the Blue and White Nile dams by the
Nile Projects Commission was recorded in the last report. Among the works with
which he was specially connected, the first was the Assouan dam in all stages of its
construction; and. in particular, he was responsible for the very durable protective
work carried out downstream of the structure in 1906 and 1907. Other works which
will remain associated with his name are the Esna barrage and the new Menufia
head regulator, which he built in an emergency. He launched the drainage and
irrigation projects in the provinces of Gharbia and Beheira, and he introduced the
remarkably accurate system of measuring the volume of the Nile by the sluice
discharges at Assouan. Mr. P. M. Tottenham, C.B.E., remains Under-Secretary of
State with no Adviser. He was appointed Under-Secretary in 1920 and has wide
experience of the Irrigation Service, both in Egypt and the Soudan. Quite recently
Abd-el-Hamid Bey Suliman has also been appointed Under-Secretary of State; he is
a very capable irrigation officer and one of the strongest personalities in the younger
generation of Egyptian engineers.
317. It is with great regret that I record the death in London of Sir A. L. Webb
early in 1921, from a renewed attack of illness, which overtook him while actually
engaged in an inspection of the Blue and White Nile dams, for which he was
consulting engineer. Of his previous career in Egypt it is unnecessary to speak here.
His services are well known and are described in the annual reports of his time.
50. Irrigation.
318. The discharges of the Nile, at the opening of the year, were sufficient to
supply all wants and, in February and March, the supply was even in excess of
demand, which was lessened by the cultivators' hesitation to plant cotton, because of
the low prices which it was fetching at the time. The result was that, during these
months, water that would have been very useful later was passing to the sea Towards
the end of March it became apparent that the water supply would not come up to
the forecast. Better discharges than in 1920 had been anticipated; it had accord
ingly been decided to permit the cultivation of a larger area of rice, up to 230,000
fed dans, and the programme for emptying Assouan reservoir was based on this
decision. As it turned out, the Blue Nile remained abnormally low until the 12th
May, and meanwhile, from the end of March onwards, owing to the very gradual
emptying of the reservoir, the supply was below requirements. At one time, indeed,
the rice crop w T as endangered and it was only owing to great exertions by the
Irrigation Department that eventually no appreciable part of it was lost. In saving
the rice, however, and in maintaining the cotton crop, the contents of the reservoir