82 THE LANDS OF THE TIGRIS. 



proper go-downs and cover for goods while waiting 

 there, is a serious matter, and most detrimental to the 

 entire trade of the province. I was informed by a 

 friend that he had seen as much as 8000 tons of 

 merchandise lying waiting transportation at Basra at 

 one time ; and it is no doubt perfectly true, as Mr 

 Whigham has said, that goods are as often six months 

 on the way from London to Baghdad as not.^ 



But this is not the only objection to entire absence of 

 competition on the Tigris. At the time of my visit 

 competition had lowered the rate of freight from London 

 to Basra to about 15s. per ton,^ while absence of com- 

 petition had raised it between Basra and Baghdad to 

 from £2 to £2, 5s. per ton ! Thus we see the astound- 

 ing phenomenon of the freight of goods from Basra to 

 Baghdad, a distance roughly of 500 miles, amounting to 

 nearly four times the freight of goods from London to 

 Basra ! On the journey back from Baghdad a different 

 state of things exists, since native craft carry a good 

 deal of stuff down-stream, and the charge is reduced to 

 about 12s. 



These few facts alone are sufficient to show that the 

 trade of Baghdad is not what it might be, even under 

 existing circumstances. Were the purchasing power of 

 the people to be increased by the realisation of some 

 such scheme as that of Sir William Willcocks, it is 

 obvious that a very large increase would speedily 

 accrue. 



British control from Baghdad to the Gulf should 

 be the watchword of British diplomacy in this par- 

 ticular square of the board, and, of course, railway 



1 The Persian Problem. H. J. Whigham. 



2 This was the figure given me by a merchant. Major Newmarch gives 

 the figure for 1902 as from £1, 17s. 6d. to £2. 



