§ LORD LAMINGTONMy Lords, I beg to ask whether the Bagdad Railway is open to traffic; and, if so, what country is or countries are responsible for its management. I placed this Question on the Paper for the purpose of obtaining infor- 1034 mation. A few years ago when this work was under construction it excited a great deal of attention in Parliament and was the subject of much negotiation between ourselves and Germany, and it is very remarkable that now no one knows anything of it. I want to ask the noble Earl what has happened to this line of railway. I have seen what a wonderful work it is and what a strong link it should be between nations and even between Empires. It is wonderfully constructed and one would like to know what is its present condition, whether it is maintained in good repair, and so on.
THE EARL OF CRAWFORDMy Lords, I can give the noble Lord fairly accurate information about certain parts of this railway. As far as can be ascertained, the portion of the Bagdad Railway south-east of Konia and nearly as far as Adana, is in the hands of and is worked by the Kemalists, while the remaining portion of the line to the Euphrates is controlled by the French and is worked by them. The section lying beyond the Euphrates is understood to be in a neglected condition, and the small section which was built between Bagdad northwards to Samara is controlled by the Iraq Administration, and, I believe, is in good working order.
§ House adjourned at twenty minutes before six o'clock.