expert capacities and in various places; several of them gained experience which is likely to be of value to the department in the use of aeroplane photographs for survey purposes.

It may be mentioned that the Hejaz postage stamps and the first issue of Egyptian 5-piastre currency notes were designed and printed by the Survey Department.

12. Mines Department.

The outbreak of war found the work of the Department of Mines and the development of the mining industry in a state of steady expansion. The department’s revenue had increased from £E. 2,500 in 1908 to over £E. 18,000 in 1914:, and the value of the mineral output in its raw state had reached approximately £E. 4:00,000.

The immediate effect of the war was to arrest this expansion, fi.rst, by the complete cessation of prospecting; and secondly, by the reduction in the output of the existing mines, caused by the shortage of staff, difficulty in obtaining supplies, and the lack of shipping facilities for the disposal of the output.

The phosphate mines wea’e the first to suffer from the lack of shipping. The manganese mines were abandoned for a time, and much damage was done to the plant by the Turks. Eepairs were undertaken under most difficult conditions, but the shortage of shipping and the difficulties of making a market delayed the export of ore.

Gold mining was less affected during the first years of the war because it is less dependent on shipping, but as prices of commodities rose the cost of production became excessive. This hastened the end of tlie two operating mines, which were becoming exhausted. In normal times new mines would probably have taken their jffaces, but so long as the operating costs remain at their present high figure it is to be feared that there is insufficient inducement to undertake new ventures.

A new oilfield was opportunely discovered in 1914, but prospecting for petroleum ceased almost entirely during the war, and it became incumbent upon the Government to extend its investigations of petroleum resources. Eortunately, the intricate problems surrounding the petroleum industry had been studied by the chief departments concerned for a number of years, and it was possible to expand this important work in spite of the disabilities occasioned by the war.

An interesting effect of the difficulties experienced by importers was the local production, in appreciable (quantities, of soda, alumina, magnesia and talc. These tided the country over a period of short supply, but whether the local product will be able to hold its own in future against the imported materials remains to be seen.

The private cmarrying industry was adversely affected throughout the war by the cessation of builcling operations. The supply for works of public utility was also reduced. Very large quantities of stone, exceeding 1 million cubic metres, were quarried by, or for, the army during the period of the war.

The approximate value of raw materials raised during 1919 was £E. 1,419,300, being an increase of £E. 81,287 on the value of the output of the preceding year.

Mining operations remained curtailed by abnormal conditions, but towards the end of the year shipping became mor' freely available, and phosphate has been exported in increasing quantities. Market prices are high, and the industry has good prospects of making rapid recovery after lying dormant during the war period.

Manganese mining in Sinai is recovering slowly. The Barramia Goldmine closed down in November after working continuously for twelve years, during which time £E. 144,500 worth of gold was produced.

The present world-wide activity of petroleum mining has stimulated interest in Egyptian fields, and three of the best known petroleum corporations in the United Kingdom have sent prospecting expeditions to Egypt and applied for areas on which to carry out tests for oil. It is hoped that this will eventually introduce healthy competition into the Egyptian oil-mining industry. Thirty-four petroleum prospecting licences were applied for and issued during 1919, which is more than in any previous year.

The prohibitive price of imported coal and the difficulty experienced in obtaining regular supplies of oil fuel caused the Government to extend its Petroleum Besearefi Organisation with a view to providing oil fuel for the needs of the mechanical service, and eventually for the supply of the State railways. Accordingly it was decided, as a first step, to undertake drilling operations and to purchase plant for a small refinery. Until success is attained by the Government’s boring operations it is proposed to supply the refinery from royalty .taken in kind, as provided! for in aU House of Commons Parliamentary Papers Online. Copyright (c) 2006 ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.