1917]	RESOURCES	123
revelling in the absence of constituted authority,
and making what they can while they can. The
sooner an A.P.O. is put here, the better. If he
was authorised to raise local police it would not, I
think, be necessary for troops to be sent here, but
an occasional aeroplane reconnaissance would be
required to overawe the more distant tribes.
Was this an intelligent anticipation of the future
establishment of air control in Iraq ?
A detachment at the Barrage would serve the
double purpose of protecting the works and forming
a link between here and Baghdad. What I think
would best serve all purposes would be to send some
Pioneers to the Barrage, who would not only serve
as a guard, but could also supervise the earthwork
on the Jadwal if it is decided to complete it before
it is too late for the sefi (summer) crop. I am told
that there remain only 2,500 metres to be dug.
The depth varies from one to two metres and the
width from seven to fifteen. This would mean at
the most two million cubic feet of earthwork or
ten days' work for 2,000 men. The completion of
this work would be a most popular measure. It
was nearly finished in 1914 and would if com-
pleted have gone a long way towards allaying the
growing discontent against the Turkish Govern-
ment. What the water supply is to Najaf, the
escapes above the Hindieh Barrage are to the tribes
along the Hindieh channel. Both schemes were
begun by the Turks before the war. Both fell
through because of the war. If we could show
that in spite of paramount military considera-
tions we were still prepared to spend money for
what appears to them to be their sole benefit, we
should, I think, go a long way towards ensuring the
content and quiet of the Euphrates tribes for the
remainder of the war.