ملف ٤٦١٣/١٩١٩ الجزء ٨ "بلاد الرافدين: الإدارة: الاستحواذ على الأراضي في المعقل: تكبد التكاليف" [و‎‎٨‎٣] (١٩٢/١٦٧)

theless I would submit that Government should accept this estimate as the land
has undoubtedly appreciated in value in consequence of the British occupa-
t\ovi \uide s 23 (j) ‘ Firstly ’ of the Land Acquisition Act as modified by G.
O. C. Regulation No. 6 of igi6) and we should make some allowance for
this fact. The matter is not of very great importance as practically the
whole area of this class in the central tract belongs to Government, though the
Zuhair family has pretensions to its ownership, pretensions which we can ^safely
disregard in the absence of title-deeds.
(f) (l) I have disposed according to my lights of the question of land values
and there remains only that of the value of buildings.
These fall into two classes, namely •
(1) Buildings of a special nature.
(2) Ordinary mud buildings.
(2) "With regard to the former there are only two such buildings
namely (1) Agha Jafar’s masonry building on the Shatt to which reference has
already been made, and of which the recorded value is Rs. 7500. This
should be the acquisition price; and (2) Lynch’s Dock and other buildings-
which will have to be valued separately by an expert in the valuation of
buildings.
(3) With regard to latter class, which comprises the village of Kut ai
Farangi itself and various mud buildings attached to date gardens I think the
simplest plan will be to treat the lands and the buildings thereon as fully planted
date land of the category into which it falls according to my classification.
(4) An alternative method would be to take l*3rd of the date land values as
representing the value of the bare land and to assess each building.separately as
may be possible. I think the owners of the houses would prefer the former
system and as the area and number of houses involved are not very great I think
Government might reasonably accept that method as being both simpler and
more generous to the owners than any strict assessment of house value could be.
The amount involved is not very large.
( 5 ) » these proposals are accepted we shall pay Rs. 7 ;00 to Agha
Jafar for his house and treat all other houses as fully planted date lands
and the only building to be dealt with will be Lynch’s. I have asked Mr.
Timewell to put in a claim and will take up the matter of valuation separately.
As the buildings are being employed largely on Government work, the matter
does not press.
(g) Graveyards have been valued but will not of course be a cquired, while
the property of the Turkish Government involves no cash pay ment. It will
however be a matter for consideration how we are to treat the prope-ty (15 acres)
which stands in the name of one Zabloski, who purchased it on behalf of the
Baghdad Railway Company. The simplest plan would be to treat the pro
perty as German-owned and^to take it over pending such settlement as may be
made after the war. There only remains the question of the many little bits of,
waqf property totalling in all some 9J acres, which are scattered about in the
area to be acquired. I have valued them in accordance with my general scheme
and propose that they be exchanged for a tract of similar value out of the Saniya
properties at Dasiji. No payment will be made for any of the above property,
the whole of which should be registered like all other property to be acquired in
this area in the name of the Saniya Department.
(4) Remission of Land Revenue.—-{a) Whatever land may be acquired the
whole of the present land revenue assessment thereon will have to be remitted
with effect from this year, i.e., 1916-17 inclusive on the assumption that the
land became Government property with effect from say September. 1st i9!6, i.e.,
before the date harvest was ready. This will obviate the necessity of a lo win §
any compensation for loss of this year’s crop or any part of it. The tenants and
owners have reaped the benefit of the crop such as it remained after the depreda
tions already referred to. We need, however, make no claim on them m respect
of it ncr admit any liability to compensation for damage done.