BRITISH RULE IN EGYPT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 249, 15 July 1919, Page 5

BRITISH RULE IN EGYPT

A FOREIGNER'S JUDGMENT HONESTY AND FAIR PLAY [Judge Erik Sjoborg, tho writer of the following article, was tho Swedish delegated Judge on. tho Mixed . Tribunals of Egypt from 1013 to 1918. He was held in high esteem by his colleagues, and was elected, presiding Judge of one of the Courts, that of Mnnsurah.] The Mixed Tribunals in Egypt, to which I l.ad the honour to be attached for jt'iu'.v, are, as is well known, v ;'/dependent of ho Egyptian and of the British officials in Egypt. These Courts constitute, aft it were, a State within the State. Consequently, the position of their .members is such as to enable them to judge quit(> ■impartially of tho conditions tlio ciuntry and of tho manner in which it is being .administered. x There can be no doubt, in my opinion, that the British administration of Egypt has been a blessing to tho country and the people. And yet the period during which that administration lias been carried on has not been a long one. Less than 10 years have elapsed since the events of"l 882 led to the occupation of Egypt by England. The progress made bj; the country under the occupation, both materially and in moral culture, is great indeed. The principal merit isundoubtedly due to Lord Cromer, who from 1883 to 1907, in a masterly way, represented- jjugland in Egypt. ' At. the time of the occupation the economic situation in Egypt was, no one will deny it, very bad. All previous attempts to bring order into lier finances had failed; State bankruptcy seemed inevitable. Tho administration was given ovet to disorder and corruption, the system ot irrigation and canalisation had, fallen into neglect, and great portion of tho population was at times threatened with famine. Education was primitive, sanitation almost totally neglected. «r Formally the occupation occasioned no alteration in the official position of Great Britain's representative. Ho remained, as before, British Consul-General in Egypt. But in point of fact, his influence on tho administration of the country was paramount. In all the Egyptian Administrative Departments Englishmen were placed as advisers to the Ministers. Provincial Governors were provided with English counsellors. . English officials were everywhere put in charge of the orgaiTlsation, anil the direction of public works, irrigation, communications, local improvements. '• Tha Work of Reform. The results jvere not long in becoming manifest. Order and efficiency prevailed' in all public administration, the country's finances improved rapidly; at the present moment they are excellent. For the'regulation of high-water on tlio Nile, that primary source of life in Egypt, fine canals and clams were constructed, among others the magnificent barrage of Assuan, now renowned throughout the world. By theso works the danger of Had harvests was eliminated, a more general and equitable distribution of watijr became possible, and large tracts of land which had lain wasto from lack of irrigation were brought under cultivation. Important reforms were introduced in in public education, in the administration of justice, in the police, the prisons, general sanitation, etc.

The principal endeavour of the British administration has been to improve the condition of the peasants, tho fellaheen, who form the great mass of the Egyptian population. Before (ihe occupation tho peasant was weighed down by the lmrden of numberless grinding taxes, which oppressed him all the more that they were collected in the most unconscionable manner .by exacting and corrupt collectors. One of Lord Cromer's first acts was to abolish most of these excessive taxes and to introduce a righteous and practical system of collecting those that had,to be. maintained. The taxes were madd payable at times best suited to the peasant—namely, when he gathers in his harvest.

To protect the owners of small plots of land from the wiles of the usurer, who was formerly his bane, a law has been nassnrt prohibiting the forced, sale of such small idols for the recovery of. debt. The "'litiativa in passing this liw was due to Lord Kitchener, one of Lord Cromer's successors in Egypt, The improvement introduced in the irrigation system ha=, moreover, grpatly increased the agricultural production and raised the value of landed property. Thanks to these measures. the Egyutian peasant has for the first time in history been raised from a of '"isery and senii-sWery to normal conditions of human exfsteiice. These conditions may how even be called prosperous.

The most striking feature of the British .administration is its honesty. Unwavering straightforwardness and a keen sense of'justice are nudities wb~i"li characterise not the lipmW of the En. Kcl\ administration in Cairo, but the numerous British officials, high and low, spread about in the provinces. These were at first regarded with a certain amount of suspicion by the natives, who had not been accustomed to much honesty among Civil Servants of their own race. Nor had their expericnco of foreigners in their relations with the native been invariably of an agreeable nature. Too ninny of these 'had shown that their sole aim was to make money rapidly by an inconsiderate exploitation of the country without caring much for its betterment.

Iho Egyptian has now learnt that in the .British official he has a disinterested furtherer of the country's interests, and a powerful and fearless protector of his rights against any one attempting to dopnve him of them, whether native or foreign. By the example which tjie British official has given to the native official, and by the control ho has exercised over him, the moral level of tho latter has been raised, and he has undergone a remarkable change for tho better. Another striking feature of the British administration is its constant care not to interfere with Iho private life of the people. Egypt, the most cosmopolitan of lands, is inhabited by people of all laces and religions. The habits and customs of all these different peoples are equally respected by the administration; they all enjoy complete religious libertyi The world war, it is (rue, has necessitated certain restrictions of this public liberty, but they have not exceeded what the special circumstances required.

The Capitulations. Tli is undeniable success of the British administration in Egypt is alt the raoro remarkable because the conditions under which the work had to he done were in many respects unfavourable. None of the Powers had recognised that the occupation vested in England any formal rights over Egypt. This circumstance Jiad naturally a somewhat paralysing effect on the work to be accomplished. Ureal difficulties were also, met with owing to Hie Capitulations. By these treaties the judicial rawer over alt foreigners dwelling in the laud is removed from tho native Courts and vested for one category of cases in tho Mixed Tribunals,. and for another in the foreign Consulates. This division of the judicial authority has given rise to many inconveniences. Tho Capitulations are, moreover, a hindrance ..to legislation, as new laws are not binding on foreigners, ■> In order tha.t they should become so it was necessary, up to 1911, to obtain the consent diplomatically of each of the Capitulation Powers. A law might be ever so necessary or beneficent, but if one of tho Powers concerned refused its consent it cou'd not be enforced. Since l'JIl this consent is obtainable through I ho Mixed Tribunals, which greatly facilitate matters. As an offset lo these -inconveniences' one musl not i'orgol thai: tin l Mixed Tribunals. the existence of which is due lo these Capitulations, have done a great deal for the development a: Egypt bythe example they have given the' native Cuurls of independence and righteous dealings, of Western justice, morals, and probity. • The question of the abolition of the Capitulations, which has been' so much talked of. is soon to be brought forward again. The disappearance of this last link of Egyptian bondage is to be desired I'or tho good of Egypt. It is tvuo that thev have hitherto constituted a valuable and necessary guarantee for tho liuropcan population of tho country. These guarantees have now, under tho British Protectorate, become unnecessary

and useless, and tliey only continue to si and in tho way ol' tko country's further development.

With the abolition of the Capitulations, the Mixed Tribunals will naturally cease to exist, and unity in the administration of justice will bo established. But in unifying the Law Courts places must bo reserved in them for foreign Judges. They will have to bo in tho majority in eases where foreign interests are involved, as is tho case at present in tho Mixed Tribunals. Ono must not lose sight of the fact that the number of foreigners in Egypt amounts to TOO,OOO, and that they hold tho far largest sharo of banking. commercial, shipping, and industrial interests.

French intorcets and French culture have at all times been predominant in Egypt. French is spoken by every educated Egyptian, atid is the language used in tho Mixed Tribunals. The laws Ihese Courts have to apply are based on the Code Napoleon. It would be a mistake if tho roots that French culture has sunk so deeply in the soil of Egypt should be torn up by the reforms in contemplation. Especially in tho administration of justice the substitution of English for French law and procedure would be more of a disadvantage than a benefit.

T am fully convinced Hint under Great Britain's guidunco the future development of Egypt will progress as rapidly as it has done hitherto. There is in its (avout the country's admirable situation, its fine climate and great natural wealth, tho lively intelligence of its upper classes, the rare industry of its simple-minded and now emancipated peasantry. However, Egypt is not yet ripe for self-gov-ernment. The peasants who- constitute the vast majority of her population can neither read nor write, they have very little political interest, and no political idens whatever.