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which impels the soul to commit crimes, so they refrain from committing them. As for the provincial councils, they continue to be serious in their good works. In 1913, they took over primary education in their centers gradually, following the policy I explained in my last report on combining their efforts with those of the Ministry of Education. Thus, the expenditure on these primary schools, their improvement, and expansion became the responsibility of the provincial councils from the beginning of this year. It is pleasing to note that while they spend vast sums on education, they do not neglect public welfare either. They have directed their attention to various projects aimed at improving health conditions in villages, and the welfare of children from the populace is a matter of their special concern, as I have mentioned elsewhere. However, I have observed that some councils, upon changing their presidents, abandon their policies, and when appointing a new president, they neglect projects on which much money has been spent, and they bear the burden and cost, as if their sole concern is another new project, which is also beneficial, but entirely different in nature. Therefore, it is advisable for the presidents and their councils to realize that adhering to a single policy can lead to the best results. I mentioned that the study of agriculture is of great importance and that a Ministry of Agriculture should be established. I will defer further discussion to another part of this report regarding the excellent work done by the Department of Agriculture when it was under the Ministry of Public Works. For now, I will limit myself to mentioning two matters that I consider of particular importance, and I say: The reappearance of the cotton worm last autumn (the first attention was drawn to it in 1912) naturally increased fears. There was no law yet to combat the damage and destruction it caused. However, administrative measures were taken to achieve this goal. Since this worm affects the seed as well as the plant, they are now also working on its destruction in the seed, either by mechanical means or by fumigation, such as placing seeds in a heated chamber. My hope is that these means and their supervision, once perfected and enacted into law, will be sufficient to reduce the losses resulting from this pest, and even to eliminate all losses. There has been a discussion for some time about a system to be introduced into the country for agricultural cooperation among its villagers. The success of this system has been proven in Egypt, and its advantages and benefits have been established. A number of villages in different regions have joined it, and the establishment of a Ministry of Agriculture has facilitated the expansion of village techniques and their significant improvement through the supervision of this ministry over agricultural cooperatives in the villages and its assistance to them in agricultural work.