Chapter One General Chapters "1" - General Situation Sir Reginald Wingate, in his valuable report for the past year, from which I have quoted extensively, stated that the year 1910 was of great importance in the progress of Sudan. Among the events of the year was the extension of the railway line before Khartoum. In the first quarter of the year, the Blue Nile bridge between Khartoum and Khartoum North was opened, and at the end of the year, the White Nile bridge at Rabak was completed. The railway line was extended from Sennar, crossing the Gezira, to Kosti, a city on the west bank of the White Nile, which is progressing and expanding. The line from there is expected to reach El Obeid during 1911 and is hoped to reach it in the early months of 1912. The commercial and economic advantages of this improvement in transportation have become apparent, and it has been proven that this line, which connects the fertile Gezira region to Khartoum and Port Sudan, and thus to all parts of the world, is a profitable undertaking, as evidenced by the revenues of the Sudan railways, which reached £391,000 in 1910, compared to £331,000 in 1909 and £233,000 in 1908. The greatest credit for this satisfactory result is due to the line connecting Wad Madani to Khartoum. The benefit of the new line in stimulating agriculture was evident from the request submitted by the English Company to the government for the construction of balancing canals on the Blue Nile near Sennar, and the undertaking to establish a series of farms sufficient to irrigate about half a million feddans suitable for cotton and other crops. This area is part of millions of feddans suitable for cultivation in the Gezira plain. However, we do not yet have sufficient experience to justify undertaking this extremely important matter. However, the government has reached an agreement with the "Sudan Plantations Syndicate," whereby the syndicate will undertake, on behalf of the government, the cultivation of cotton and other crops in a suitable area near Wad Madani. These efforts will take three years, or perhaps longer. The realization of the larger project depends on their success.