The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1916-12-06
Charity Goes Hand in Hand With
Conquest in Torrid Meso-
potamia.
IMPROVE BASRA BY FORCE
Relief Given Women Enables Them
to Live in Their Customary Man.
ner-Few False Applications
Are Received.
RvIouIs EDGAR BROWNE,

CORRESPONDENT of the Chicago News.
Headquarters MesOpotamian EXpedl-
fionary Force, Basra, Arabia.-A staff
of trained men has been brought to-
gether to administer the customs and
revenue collections in the occupied
part of Turkey. Except that the rates
have been slightly reduced, the tariffs
are the same as they were under the
Turks. All the money collected
through civil taxation in the occupied
territory is being expended on civil
government, civic improvements, pen
sions for Turkish pensioners and al
lowances for the families of Turkish
prisoners of war held by the British.
There are many civic improvements
necessary. A good road between Ashar
and Basra city is imperative; the canal
needs dredging; the bikes need rebuild
ing and sanitation must be achieved
by actual force. Much has already
been done. Several good bridges have
been built over Ashar creek; a large
gang of masons is repairing the canal
wall; the bazaar has been cleaned
out; the police force has been reorgan-
lied and made efficient, and a railroad
which is to bring roadway metalling
from an extinct volcano 80 miles away
leaps ahead daily.
British Pension Turk Officials.
All of the retired Turkish officials
who were living on pensions from the
Ottoman government when the Brit
ish occupied Basra may now draw
from the British government sufficient
money to enable them to live decently.
All Turkish officials actively in service
at the time of occupation who have
had more than 20 years service may
also be pensioned. Most of these have
been permitted freedom. The families
of Turkish prisoners of war may re-
ceive allowances by applying to the
chief political officer for the British
forces.
/ glanced through some of the files
in the political office and jotted down
the facts of few applications for al
lowances. The applicant can usually
speak only Turkish or Arabic. He
writes his application out in Turkish
and takes it to the bazaar, where some
native translator turns it into most
weird and picturesque English. II
then goes to the chief political officer
who orders an investigation. If the
application is bona fide, it is certain to
be granted. Pensions and allowances
are graded according to class-the
wife of former governor would draw
what even in America would be a
good-sized pension, while the wife of
a coolie soldier would get perhaps 10
cents a day. Yet both women would
be enabled to live in their customary
manner. This concession has prevent
ed actual want. Officers already pen
stoned before the arrival of the Brit
ish may draw up to one quarter of the
pension they received from the Turk
iSh government, although in cases of
urgent necessity larger allowances are
granted.
Relief Given to Women.
The wife of Mohamed Akhmed, ex-
Turkish official whose salary was $40
per month, and having no children,
applied for an allowance and was
granted 81 a month.
The wife of Fezzy Bey, former GUS
toms official, whose salary was $115
per month, and having one child, eight
years old, applied for an allowance
and was granted SIS per month.
The wife of Turkish soldier now q
prisoner of war in India, whose pay
was four cents a day, and who has
four children between the ages Of two
and seven years, was granted an al
lowance Of $13 month.
A corporal of police died just before
the Turks evacuated Basra. He left
two wives too old to work, but no chill
dren. Each wife receives So month.
One family of civilians, man old and
blind and his wife, who hitherto earned
scanty living collecting firewood, and
whose son is now a private in the
Turkish army fighting on the Tigris
front, at four cents a day, was grant
ed an allowance of 81 a month.
A touching application was received
recently. 1t proved to be a "fake'
The applicant was Christian. There
have been few false applications-per-
haps half a dozen in all out of many
hundreds of applications. There are
now 60 pensioners of the former Turk
ish government and more than 200
families who are saved from actual
want by this system. AS soon as a
tale Of misery is reported it is inves-
tigated. If charity is needed the money
is paid out at once. If the application
is genuine there is surprisingly little
red tape" about the awards.
Cat Gnnd Hunfer