Show cargo boat on the tigris river prepared ly the rational society D C treaty between great brit THE aln and her most important man dated territory the kingdom of iraq which has been before the representatives of the two countries for nearly three ears has recently been definitely ratified it recognizes irahan independence to take effect when iraq becomes a member of the league of nations inq present day heir of indent babylon in the valleys of the tigris and euphrates has had an up hill job since the world war in its efforts to transform itself into a modern state it has had construct le plans for physical development but politics religion and the age old social customs of some of its people have interposed stubborn obstacles in the paths of the contemplated progress the irakis iraqis have sought a status comparable to turkey persia and the all important and independent mohammedan states rather than that of a mandated area on somewhat the same footing as smaller and less pop ulous syria and palestine trans jordan ever since the treaty of versailles placing the country under mandate to great britain became operative in 1920 iraq has obtained a greater and greater degree of independence it Is the only one of the twelve mandated territories which has a king p arlla ment and responsible government As a result of iraqi insistence the relations between mandatory and man dated territory were benned denned in 1922 in a treaty between the governments 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 under taking more specifically to use her in fluence to obtain membership for iraq in the league leigue if iraq continued to make progress still later great brit aln agreed to drop this proviso and to seek league membership for iraq un conditionally in 1932 it Is the treaty so altered that has now been ratified great britain now has both a civil and a military place in irahan affairs A british high commissioner resides in bagdad and advises the king on international and financial matters A british air force Is maintained an fn the country under the command of an air vice marshal british military officers are training the iraq army and a number of british governmental experts are employed in the various civil offices of the ima government these contacts will continue under the new treaty after iraq Is admitted to the league of nations 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 pastoral country in babylonian and grecian days the valleys were 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 highly prosperous until 12 sa A D when the mongol invasion destroyed the irrigation embankments and head works afterwards under turkish rule iraq became less and less prosperous much of its once fertile valleys turned into wilderness and malaria breeding swamps the aim of the most thoughtful lead ers in iraq Is to restore the irrigation works which the valleys possessed during their golden age this how ever would be a tremendous task requiring vast amounts of capital which iraq Is at present unable to command the government has organized a department part ment of irrigation and under its supervision Is slowly bettering elst ing irrigation works and undertaking new ones one of the most important steps has been the construction of a permanent weir in the bed of the river to replace earthen dama which were constructed annually only to be washed away each flood season several river regulators and escapes were in 1928 and canals were extended to revive areas that were passing out of cultivation and to bring tens of thousands of acres of new land under railway system incomplete in transportation agencies other than railways iraq has made a marked advance in recent years the natural fm f outlet for the country Is southeastward along its rivers to the persian gulf but its customers and clients are chiefly to the northwestward and the northeastward across extensive deserts and mountain ranges these barriers haye not yet been bridged by steel rails gaps still exist in the famous proposed berlin to bagdad railway so that it Is not even possible to move irahan products as far as the eastern mediterranean ports by rail there are close to a thousand miles of railway track in iraq but it Is entirely an internal system at no point does a railway cross the iraq border the rail system however does perform two important functions in international trade it carries exports and imports to and from alie port of basra head of navigation on the al arab for ocean going ships and it connects at near the persian border with a motor road over which Is carried on iraqi sizable transit trade with persia in the absence of railways to the north and west all of the heavy freight leaving and entering iraq auit move by water through the persian gult but within the last few years an efficient and rapid system has been set up tor the transfer of passengers mall and light express overland between bagdad and basra on the southeast and damascus beyrouty Bey routh jerusalem and cairo on the northwest good hard surfaced highways have been constructed through long sections of the river valleys across the deserts that separate iraq and syria the ways are merely natural airth roads but they are la fair condition and oer them powerful american built busses carrying passengers mall and express cover COO miles in 21 hours the quickest malls however travel by the weekly airplane service which extends from basra to cairo airplanes fly approximately over the highway route for a considerable part of the way between bagdad and the wet at the halfway point wells the iraq government has established a station which Is used for refueling and by both planes and automobiles and there a desert police force of considerable strength is maintained at this station a restaurant Is conducted and e en over night accommodations are provided of the two great rivers of iraq only the tigris can be used by boats an important freight service moving hundreds of thousands of tons in large river steamers is operated between bagdad and basra special shallow draft stern wheel river boats ply the tigris up the river from bagdad to and above the latter city considerable sid erable quantities of supplies are brought downstream on rafts below the junction of the tigris and euphrates the combined tidal stream Is known as the al arab the commerce on the al aab has been greatly facilitated and increased since the world war by the deeper and deep cr dredging by the iraq government of the bar at the rivers mouth ships of 20 foot draft can now cross the bar at low water and ships of 30 foot draft at high water products and industries although some progress has been made in recent years toward the development of industry and the extraction of mineral wealth from the ground iraq Is still predominantly an agricultural and country this condition Is reflected in the exports and imports during the fiscal year the exports including goods in transit amounted to about while the imports were valued at approximately dates valued at close to led the list of exports followed by cereals and flour and wool among the leading articles imported were textile valued at approximately and sugar worth the few industries carried on in iraq are on a small scale the residents maintain factories for spinning knitting carpet making and shoe manufacture copper smelling smelting sm elting and flour milling it Is only a matter of time however until the country will have an important place among the regions producing and refining petroleum two financially strong companies have con 7 cat ions to explore and develop chef irahan oil supplier aal both have brought in the gnp tw onri i i i |