"ملف رقم ٣٠٤٧ لسنة ١٩٠٩ "السكك الحديدية: تركيا الآسيوية؛ إنشاء سكة حديدية في آسيا الصغرى" [و‎‎٨‎٣] (٣٦٨/١٧٠)

■i
V
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty s Government.]
I HAVE to thank you for your letter of the 2nd instant advising me of the
contents of a despatch dated the 15th r March which has been received from His
Majesty’s Ambassador at Constantinople reporting the gist of a conversation which
had taken place between him and the Grand Vizier on the subject of the Chester
scheme.
and by the Grand Vizier.
This is not surprising, because, from the point of view of the Government, it
appears to be an extraordinarily favourable proposal, but I cannot imagine that there
is any intention on the part of Chester or his financial supporters to deal seriously with
the railway part of the proposition, as I find, on reading the draft agreement, of which
I have received a copy, that it involves an expenditure of at least 10 , 000 , 000 Z. to
12 , 000,0001 without the least prospect of any remunerative return, and a delay of
fully ten years before the concessionnaire will be able to avail himself of the benefit
of the mineral rights so far as they apply to the known deposits of copper and
petroleum. # .
Therefore it appears to me impossible that the concession as now drafted will be
acceptable to the Chester group, seeing that they have openly stated that the object
they have in view in this scheme is not the building of a railway, but the securing of
the mineral rights, and more particularly those for petroleum.
This being so, I quite anticipate that before the concession is finally agreed to
important modifications may be suggested, and I shall therefore feel very much
obliged if you will draw Sir Gerard Lowther’s attention to this point, and indicate to
him that, though the Chester scheme in its present form does not seem to encroach
very seriously upon the concession for exploiting the oil-fields of Mesopotamia which
has already been promised to me, yet that before it is carried through modifications may
be introduced with a view to reducing the obligations of the concessionnaire in respect
of railway construction, and that any such modifications should be strenuously
opposed. . . .
In the meantime, I am instructing my representative to proceed with negotiations
for a concession for the oil-fields of Mesopotamia, exclusive of such territory as may be
comprised in the Chester concession should the option under that concession be
exercised, and including the sole right to build and work pipe lines.
^ASIATIC TURKEY AND ARABIA.
[April 9.]
CONFIDENTIAL.
Sectio
[ 12060 ]
No. 1.
Mr. D’Arcy to Foreign Office.—(Received April 9.)
Sir,
Stanmore Hall, Stanmore, April 8 , 1910.
From this it is evident that this scheme is viewed favourably by both the ministry
I have, &c.
W. K. D’ARCY.
[2710 t— 1 ]