ooo EGYPT 



Finance. By 1911 the finances of Egypt had fully recovered from the effects of the 

 economic crisis of 1907 (see E. B. ix, 119). The revenue in 1911 was .16,793,000, exceed- 

 ing that of 1910 by .827,000 and that of 1907 (the highest figure previously recorded) 

 by tf. 425,000. The expenditure in 1911 was .14,872,000. The principal sources of 

 revenue were: direct taxation .5,528,000; customs .2,169,000, railways .3,729,000, 

 tobacco .1,669,000. Though 1911 was a year of financial prosperity it was marked in 

 the autumn by a series of failures in the banking and business community, but these were 

 due to antecedent causes, that of the so-called Bank of Egypt in London, in the words of 

 Sir Paul Harvey, financial adviser, being due "to an unsound system of business and finance 

 initiated many years ago." The other failures were ranked as a deferred result of the 

 speculative movement which came to an end with the crisis of 1907. Notwithstanding heavy 

 expenditure on public works the government passed through the lean years of 1908, 1909 

 and 1910 without having to raise a loan, the reserve fund on January I, 1912 being .5,- 

 847,000. The total debt in the hands of the public at the same date was 89,117,000, 

 involving an annual charge of fE.3.359. 000 - 



For 1912 the budget figures were: receipts .15,900,000; expenditure .15,400,000. 

 For 1913 the estimates were: receipts .16,130,000; expenditure .15,630,000. 



During 1912 the Domains loan was extinguished and the profit on the working of the 

 domains (.60,000) became available for general purposes. A sum of .250,000 was 

 set apart in the budget of 1913 for sanitary and other improvements at Cairo, where the new 

 bridge across the Nile at Bulak was completed in 1912, after four years work. 



Trade and Shipping* The total trade of Egypt in 1911 amounted to .55,826,000, 

 (imports .27,227,000; exports .28,599,000) an increase over 1910 of .3,300,000. 

 Of this total 95 per cent passed through Alexandria. The figures for 1911 include bullion 

 imports .5,986,000, and exports .2,599,000. The United Kingdom sent 33.5 per cent 

 of the imports and took 45 per cent of the exports. Next in order came France, Turkey, 

 Austria, Germany and Italy. Owing to the damage by cotton worm, deterioration of seed, 

 and in lower Egypt to cool weather during the summer, the quality of the 1911-12 crop was 

 rather poor and represented a value of only .29,000,000, though in quantity it was little 

 inferior to the record crop of 1910-11. Prices were lower in consequence of the abundant 

 American crop. The chief exports in 1911 were cotton and textiles .23,078,000, cereals, 

 vegetables, &c. .4,064,000, cigarettes .200,000, livestock, skins and sugar. 



At Jemsa on the Red Sea petroleum in paying quantities has been discovered, and during 

 1912 the export of crude oil began. Phosphate is being worked near Kosseir. At Alexandria 

 in 1911 the tonnage of ships entering the port was 4,095,000, 39 per cent being British, Austri- 

 Hungary came next with 10 per cent. During 1911, 4969 vessels, net tonnage 18,324,000, 

 passed through the Suez Canal, compared with 4533 vessels of 16,581,000 tons in 1910. 

 The percentage of British vessels was 62 as regards numbers and 64 as regards tonnage. 

 German vessels figured at 13 per cent and 15 per cent respectively, Dutch at 5.7 per cent 

 and 5.3 per cent and French at 4.7 per cent and 4.5 per cent. During the year 17,000 pil- 

 grims passed through Suez for Mecca. 



Irrigation. The task of raising the height of the Assuan dam (see E. B. xiv, 850) was 

 completed in 1912. The basin conversion works were completed in 1911, and the whole 

 area brought under perennial irrigation. The regulator at the head of the Menufia Canal 

 built about 1850 having suddenly collapsed in December 1909, a new regulator was built 

 by Messrs Aird & Co. by July 1910 before the arrival of the Nile flood, a "record" in Egypt 

 for rapid construction. The budget for 1913 set apart .480,000 for drainage works, the 

 total estimated cost of the scheme being 1,192,000. 



Obituary. The deaths may be noted of ARABI PASHA (see E. B. ii, 283), the former 

 Nationalist Leader, on September 18, 1911, at the age of 72; and of RIAZ PASHA (see E. B. 

 xxiii, 281), ex-Prime Minister, on June 18, 1911, at his age of 75. (F. R. CANA.) 



Anglo- Egyptian Sudan 



The history of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan in 1910-12 has been one of marked prog- 

 ress in administration and an equally marked increase in the prosperity of the people, 

 this prosperity being so equally divided that in April 1912 Lord Kitchener declared 

 that " there is now hardly a poor man in the Sudan." Sir Reginald Wingate, the 

 Sirdar, estimated the population in 1912 at well over 3,000,000, compared with the esti- 

 mate of 1,853,000 in 1905. 



In June 1910 the Lado enclave (see E. B. xvi, 60) was taken over from the Belgian 

 government ami added to the province of Mongolia. Minor disturbances necessitated 

 small expeditions during 1910-12 in Kordofan, and in Mongalla, where the Anuak and 

 Nuers, who had obtained large quantities of modern firearms from Abyssinia, were 

 fighting among themselves. Up to the end of 1912 government authority had not been 



1 See E. B. xxvi, 10 et seq. 



