مجموعة ٧/١٧(١) "العراق وفلسطين: اتفاقية نقل البضائع من وإلى العراق عبر فلسطين؛ سكة حديد بغداد-حيفا" [ظ‎‎٧‎٥] (١٠٦٨/١٦١)

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particularly as Ministers were unlikely to be able to deal with the matter at the
present moment before the holidays, and would be reluctant to consider any
hypothetical question.
THE CHAIRMAN said that the detailed plans and estimates prepared by
Messrs. Rendel, Palmer and Tritton had been severely criticised by Colonel
Tainsh, the Director of the Iraqi Railways, who had prepared alternative
estimates on various points. These alternative estimates, however, did not afford
a clear basis for a comparison of the different proposals, as they did not compare
“ like with like,” but were based on different weights of rails, &c., &c. Moreover,
there was a serious difference of opinion, into which political considerations
entered, on the question of gauge. It had now been arranged that Sir F. Palmer.
Colonel Tainsh, and Mr. Webb, of the Palestine railways, should meet early in
August and try to put forward agreed recommendations, or, at any rate, agreed
figures, regarding the different proposals. But further meetings would certainly
be required before agreed recommendations could be put forward, and it might
well be that nothing definite could be submitted to Ministers until well on in
October.
SIR FRANCIS HUMPHRYS explained that Colonel Tainsh had proposed
a new alignment for the railway via the Zerka valley which would have very
great advantages over the alignment proposed by Messrs. Rendel, Palmer and
Tritton. It would involve a gradient of 1 in 80 instead of 1 in 50, would saw
nine miles of track and would decrease the cost of construction by over £100,000.
He had himself consulted Sir A. Wauchope and the Amir Abdullah, who on
commercial, strategic and political grounds were strongly in favour of the
Zerka valley route.
THE CHAIRMAN said that he understood that it had never been disputed
that the Zerka route, if it were practicable, would be in every way superior to the
Mafrak route, proposed by the consulting engineers. The latter, however, although
thev had originally been strongly in favour of the Zerka route, had rejected it on
the'ground that for a short distance (apparently about 20 miles) it was definitely
impracticable from an engineering point of view. No detailed plans showing how
Colonel Tainsh proposed to overcome this technical engineering difficulty were
yet available, and until such plans had been received and considered m
consultation with the consulting engineers, the latter's view that the Zerka valley
was impracticable could hardly be over-ruled by a non-technical committee. Bu
in any case these questions seemed to him to be secondary, since, as he ha
explained, the maximum difference in cost involved only amounted to some lo per
cent, of the total cost. What he wished the committee to consider was whether a
reference to Ministers could safely be postponed until this secondary issue shou
have been cleared up and agreed recommendations on details prepared, now tha
the risk of the rapid development of alternative routes had apparently become so
imminent. The matter was, however, one mainly for the Defence Department
to decide.
SIR FRANCIS HUMPHRYS then pointed out that there was a much more
serious obstacle to a reference to Ministers than that which the Chairman na
described. The real question at issue was whether the Iraqi Government wou
finance, or rather financially guarantee, the construction of the long section o
the proposed line which would run through Iraqi territory.
Mr. WILLIAMS said that he had derived the impression from a recent
discussion at the Colonial Office with the Iraqi Minister of Finance that tne
development of road communications to Haifa through Transjordan was wna
the Iraqi Government w^ere contemplating as an immediate step which won
afford some indication of the extent to which a railway on the same route migw
prove remunerative.
SIR FRANCIS HUMPHRYS said that certain members of the Iraqi
Government were in favour of developing road communication w T ith Transjorda ■
There rvas, however, a strong movement in favour of a railway as well.
dentally, the Iraqi Government 'were now, he understood, in favour of a standar ,
as distinct from a metre, gauge, being adopted. _ ,
On the other hand, he did not think that there was any probability oi
Iraqi Government coming to a definite decision in regard to the financing oi 1
I;®;