THE BAGDAD RAILWAY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1083, 23 March 1911, Page 5

THE BAGDAD RAILWAY.

1 4 NEW CONVENTIONS SIGNED. By Telegraph—Press a Constantlnoplo, March 21. The conventions between the Porte and the Bagdad Kailway Company have been signed. t The new conventions are apparently designed to meet British objections. to the construction of a railway under German control through the British sphere of influence in the lower portion of the Euphrates Valley. On the formation ol t the Bagdad Railway Company by German financiers, Turkey guaranteed a certain annual payment for each mile of line tt completed. As security for this it was £ originally proposed to increase the Cus--0 toms duties by four per cent, and give the company a lien on tho now revenue sc '• derived. Sir Edward Grey, in tho Hous( 11 of Commons, recently declared that Great a Britain would not consent to tho lev3*in£ of increased Customs duties at the Turkish ports in the Persian Gulf in order t< promote railways of doubtful value tc British trade. The new convention now provides that the company shall be giver security on tho general revenues of Turkey. S The British objection to German construction in the v Lower Euphrates it is 0 proposed to meet by Turkey arranging thf j construction of tho section from Bagdac 1 to the Persian Gulf, on the basis of Ger- . many having _ equal participation wit! ll any other foreign Power.