New Britain herald., 1930-01-02
IRAQ TROUBLED
 ON UNDERMINING
Present Day Heir Of Babylon
 Has Uphill Job


 present day heir of ancient Babylon in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates. has had an up-hill joh since the World War, in its efforts 10 transform itself into q modern state. It has had constructive plans for physical development; but poli- ties, religion, and the age-ol social customs of some Of it's people have interposed stubborn obstacles in the paths Of the contemplated progress,
 The Iraqis have sought a status comparable 10 Turkey, Persia and the Hejaz, all important anG inde- pendent Mohammedan states. rather than that Of q mandated area, on somewhat the same footing Hs smaller and less populous Syria and Palestine -Trans-J ordan.
 Treaty Repeatedly Liberaihcd
 Ever since the treaty of Ner- sailes, placing the country under mandate to Great Britain becaui" operative in 1920, lraq has obtained a greater and greater degree of in- dependence" says a bulletin from the Washington. D. C. headquarters of the National Geographic Society Tt is the only one of the twelve mandated territories which has king. parliament and responsible government. As q result of IraQi insistence, the relations between mandatory and mandatcd territory were defined in 1922 in treaty be- tween the governments Of Iraq and Great Britain which looked 10 the termination of the mandate when iraq could enter the League of Ma lions. This treaty has since been re vised with Great Britain undertaking more specifically to use her influence 10 obtain membership for Iraq in tn" league if lraq continues to make progress. Within the last few months Great Britain has agreed to drop this provisc and 70 seek league member ship for 1raq unconditionally in l9S2.
 Great Britain now has both a civil and a military place in Iraqar affairs. A British high commis- sioner resides in Baghdad and ad- vises the king on international and financial matters. British air force is maintained in the country under the command of an air vice marshal. British military officers arc training the Iraq army and number of British governmental cX- perts are employed in the various civil offices of the Iraq government
 Embracing the potentially fertile valleys of the Tigris and Euphratrs and large stretches of semi-arid and desert lands. Iraq has always been primarily an agricultural and pas loral country. In Babylanian and Grecian days the valleys were her ring -boned with irrigation canals and these were kept up by the Arabs in the days Of the Caliphatc. The lands or lraq were exceedingly productive and its people were highly pr. per ous until l2S5 A. D. when the Mon col invasion destroyed the irrigation entertainments and -hcadW Orlls, After wards under Turkish rule Iraq be came less and less prosperous much of its once fertile valleys turned inlo wilderness and malaria breeding sWamps
 Want Restoration
 ''Thc aim of the most thoughtful leaders in lraq is to restore the ir- rigation works which in" valleys possesscd during their golden age. This. ho-cYcr. would be tr"- rncndous task. requiring vast amounts Of capital, which Iraq is at present unable 10 command. Tho government has organized a depart mcnt Of irrigation ad under its su- pcrvision is slowly bettering existing irrigation works and undertaking new ones. One Of the most import ant steps has been the construction of permanent weir in the bed Of the river Dijala to replace carthcn dams which were constructed an- nually y to he washed away each flood season. Several river regulators and escape were constructed in 1928, Gnd canals were extended to revive areas that were passing ont Of cultivation and 10 bring tens Of thousands of acres of new land Un- der irrigation.
 TWO phases of irrigation uu- known In 1raq In past centuries arc