IN EGYPT

Hokitika Guardian, 22 July 1930, Page 8

IN EGYPT

ATTEMPT AT CONTROL. WAFD AGAINST KING. In their-: endeavour to secure still greater power in. Egypt, the Wafd party, of whom Nahas, Tasha, is leader, tried to force upon' King Faud; Bills Which- would have seriously circumscribed his powers and widened theirs. Upon- tHe" 1 Ring’s 1 refusal to sign the Bill, Nahas Pasha and his Cabinet;: resigned. All, this happened a- month, ago. Since then- Nahas has been campaigning through the country and attacking, the King and the present Cabinet. This has resulted in outbreaks of violence at Mansoiirah Bibrts and Alexandria. That is short in the history' of recent events forming the immediate cause of the trouble in Egypt. The story of British rule in Egypt is a very interesting one. Since Britain has had control, a period of ‘forty-two years;- Egypt has prospered her population has doubled, and vast irrigation schemes have been carried ohjt. Till the; last' eight years land has trebled’ in value, arid: motor trucks, have crowded the cameh from the historic: caravan, trails. The present King of Egypt is the minth of the line founded bv M’ohainmend All, who' was appointect'’Goverriornbr (Vali) of Egypt by the Sultan of Turkey in 1805, and wlio made himself complete master of the country, and became hereditary Governor by force of arms in 1811. Under the rule of Khedive Tsrnail revenues were wasted, and debts were heaped up until bankruptcy resulted. In 1879, Great Britain and France assumed dual control, forced Ismail to abdicate, and appointed his ,son, Tewfik, to succeed him. Many reforms were instituted * but in 1882, Arabi Pasha headed a military revolt, which was quelled By a British expedition, the Frerich Government declining to intervene. The dual Control-Was abolished by decree on January 18 1883;arid' Gpeat ; Britain carried on alone, Ihe expeditionary' force reihaining as an army of occupation. Egypt being technically a senii-iridepencient trib utary state of 1 the Ottoman Empire. This period of British occupation lasted'uritil the World War broke out. The Khedive, Abbas 11., was absent and declared himself for Turkey. Hi was deposed, .and his brother, Hus sein Kamil Pasha, was made Khedive With a Turkish army headed for Grpr on November 18, 1914, Great Britain declared a : protectorate over Egypt which was thereupon taken from tin Suzerainty of., Turkey; and* Hussein assumed the title of Snltan. He died iii 1917, and his brother, Faud. sue. ceeded him. In the unrest' following the war," disturbances were many ano .serious, the* Nationalists demanding complfete independence. Great Britain promised- an increased measure o>' oeir-govenurieut’, and Lord Milner was sent''tiiere Vri 1919 to investigate. Mr Oeorge, in the House of Commons on February 28, 1922, announced that ar rangements had beta made whereby the British Protectorate was abolisn ed. The British Government reserved to its discretion for subjects: Safety of British Empire communications; defence rib Egypt against foreign aggression, direct or indirect’; protection of foreign interests in Egypt and of minorities; and guarantee for British' interests in the Sudan. The House sustained this' policy by a vote of 203 to 70; Oh March 27, Marquis Curzon, the British Foreign Secretsent despatches to all British Ambassadors, saying that tlie termination of the Protectorate involved no change in Egypt’s status towards . other Powers, and the British Government would regard as unfriendly aiiy attempted interference in the affairs of Egypt, by another Power, arid would repel any aggression upon Eygptian territory. On March 1, Sarwat Pasha formed a Cabinet, and Faud was proclaimed King- on March 16. The assassination in the streets oi | Carlo of Sir Lee Stack, Governort General ■ of the Soudan; and 'Sirdar oil the Egyptian army, in November, \ 1924, produced;' a grave crisis. Parlia- • meritary trouble followed, marked by the growing power of the Wafd Party (extreme Nationalists), whose leader was Zaglioul Pasha) until his death in 1927; The British Government protested against two Bills presented to the Parliament which they held would weaken the administrative autiiori- : ties responsible for the maintenance of order, and for the protection of life' and property in Egypt. Under pressure of an (Ultimatum, backed by I the. ordering of five warships to Egyptain waters, the Government i postponed the Bills. A scandal arose regarding the members of the Coal- : ition Cabinet, and Mohammad Pasha Mnhmound, a graduate of Oxford, anil a-member of the Wafd Party, was : mode Prime Minister. The new Cabinet' was far from commanding a maj- : ority in Parliament. By Royal de- ’ cree on July 19, the King dissolved Hie Chamber of Deputies and the : Senate, and suspended Parliament otid the elections for three years. ,Tbe‘ Government throughout main- , j loined complete control of the Egypitinti Army and the police. 1 T)n ring the visit of Faud and l the Premier, Mahmoud Pasha, to England, in summer 1929, a new treaty

was negotiated with the Foreign Secretary,. Mr Henderson, the draft of which was made public on August d. It provides for tlie termination oi the British military occupation and the withdrawal of the troops to the Suez Canal for its military protection solely, as soon as Egypt builds barracks tlierq.. Great Britain pledges its support when Egypt applies for idmission to tlie League of Nations. Mutual support in foreign policy is pledged by tljg two Governments with automatic alliance |n time of war. Egypt pledges herself to the protection of foreigners, to employ* British, instructors for Her- army, and British financial and judicial advisers should she need any . foreign officials. Great Britain, yields capitulatory rights, and agreed that her subjects shall come within ; the jurisdiction of the international.’mixed courts. Lord Lloyd, the British High Commissioner, who was out of sympathy : with the Government, resigned His post; - and Sir Percy Loraine was' appointed to succeed him.