The Coolidge examiner., 1931-01-02

Society, Washington. u. Cd
TINE treaty between Great
Britain and her most i'm
pOrtant mandate territory,
the Kingdom of Iraq, which has
been before the representatives of
the two countries for nearly three
years, has recently been definitely
ratified. 1t recognizes Iraq indie
pendence to take effect when Iraq
becomes a member of the League
of Nations.
Iraq, preSent-day heir of ancient
Babylon in the valleys of the I'll
girls and Euphrates, has had an up
hill job since the World war, in
its efforts to transform itself into
q modern state. 1t has had con
structive plans for physical devel-
opment; but politics, religion, and
the age-Old social customs of some
of its people have interposed stub
born obstacles in the paths of the
contemplated progress.
The Iraqis have sought a status
comparable to Turkey. Persia and
the Hejas, all important and indie
pendent MOhammedan states, rather
than that of a inundated area on
somewhat the same footing as
smaller and less populous Syria
and Palestine Trans-JOrdan.
Ever since the treaty of Yer
sailles. placing the country under
mandate to Great Britain, became
operative in 1920. Iraq has obtained
a greater and greater degree of in
dependence. 1t is the only one of
the twelve inundated territories
which has a king. parliament, and
responsible government. AS a re-
suit of Iraqan insiStence. the rela-
tions between mandatory and man.
dated territory were defined in 1922
in a treaty between the govern
ments of Iraq and Great Britain
which looked to the termination of
the mandate when Iraq could enter
the League of Nations. This treaty
was later revised twice with Great
Britain undertaking more spe-
cifically TO use her influence to OBJ
tain membership of IraQ in the
League if Iraq continued to make
progress. Still later Great Brit
ain agreed to drop this proviso and
to seek League membership for
Iraq Internationally in 1882. 1t is
the treaty so altered that has now
been ratified.
Great Britain now has both a
civil and military place in Iraqan
affairs. A British high commission
er resides in Bagdad and advises
the king on international and finan-
cial matters.
Restoring Its Irrigation.
Embracing the potentially fertile
valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates
and large stretches of Semi-arid and
desert lands, Iraq has always been
primarily an agricultural and pas
tOral country. In Babylonian 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 Caliphate.
The lands of Iraq were exceedingly
productive and its people were high
ly prosperous until 1858 A. d. when
the Mongol invasion destroyed the
irrigation embankments and head
works. Afterwards under Turkish
rule Iraq became less and less pros
,perouS, much of its once fertile val
leys turned into wilderness and ma
laria-breeding swamps.
The aim of the most thoughtful
leaders in Iraq is to restore the ir
rigation works which the valleys
possessed during their golden age
This, however, would be a tremen-
dous task, requiring vast amounts
of capital, which Iraq is at pres
ent unable to command. The gov.
ernment has organized a depart
ment of irrigation and under its su-
pervision is slowly bettering exist
ing irrigation works and undertak-
ing new ones. One of the most i'm
portant steps has been the con-
structiOn of a permanent weir in
the bed of the River Dijala to re-
place earthen dams which were con
structed annually, only to be
washed away each flood season
Several river regulators and es
capes were constructed in 1923. and
canals were extended to revive
areas that were passing out of cul-
tivation and to bring tens of thou
sands of acres of new land under
irrigation.
Two phases of irrigation un-
known in Iraq in past centuries are
being developed by exploration of
possible artesian water supplies
from wells; and by the installation
of power pumps to lift water from
streams to land too high to be
reached by present canals The lat
ter development has been encour-
aged by the government by the ad-
mission of gas engines duty free.
Railway System Incomplete.
In transportation agencies, other
than railways, Iraq has made a
marked advance in recent years.
The natural outlet for the country
is southeastward along its rivers