--- 56 ---and rascals, which was the first time this had happened in many years, and the government will make every effort to maintain this situation.

This improvement is attributed to several reasons, the most important of which are the increased activity and efficiency of local governors and the police. However, the most significant factor is undoubtedly the success in enforcing Law No. 4 of July 1909, which stipulates that notorious rascals whose evil is feared shall be placed under police surveillance. The special committees appointed according to this law held their second sessions in all provinces of the country last spring. They had prepared new lists of rascals, as they did in the first sessions, under the supervision of the Directors and with the assistance of the British Inspectors, who reviewed and approved each name. Instructions were issued to the local governors not to rely on the previous year's lists, but to submit the names of individuals whose behavior is currently a source of danger to the social fabric. They were informed that the law would only be enforced against a limited number of the most notorious rascals. Consequently, the number of names submitted was small compared to the number submitted in 1909, and the Ministry of Interior did not have to make many amendments before presenting them to the committees. The number in the original list was 354 individuals, of whom 337 appeared before the committees. Of these, 329 had been previously tried or convicted of various crimes. The committees ruled that 298 should provide financial security for their future good behavior, 33 should provide guarantors, 4 were placed under police surveillance without security, and 2 were acquitted. Witnesses came forward to testify without hesitation and displayed a moral courage they had not shown before, due to the confidence instilled in them that the governors had succeeded in protecting witnesses in previous sessions from retaliation by the accused and their supporters. In these sessions, it was possible to try 3 or 4 of the wealthy and powerful landowners in the Delta who were known to incite crimes, although their direct participation was not publicly evident. Had they been tried in the earlier sessions, no one would have dared to testify against them. Many witnesses accused one of these landowners of fifteen murders, none of which had been brought to trial. It is certain that the public considered the placement of these powerful criminals under surveillance as a sign that the government intended to curb the rascals of all classes, and this had a very good effect on public morale.

The number of those who appealed the committees' rulings to the Review Committee, headed by the Minister of Interior, was 138. The number of cases that the Ministry of Interior ordered to be re-examined on its own initiative was 48. The committee acquitted one of the appellants, upheld the ruling on 136, and slightly amended the ruling on 7, and reduced