1916-05-04-DK-001

1916-05-04-DK-001

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Source: DK/RA-UM/Gruppeordnede sager 1909-1945. 139. D. 1, ”Tyrkiet - Indre Forhold”. Pakke 1, til 31 Dec. 1916
Edition: Danish diplomatic sources
Departure of telegram: 05/04/1916
Arrival of telegram: 05/13/1916
Embassy/consular serial number: Nr. 104
Translated by: Matthias Bjørnlund
Last updated: 03/23/2012

The minister at Constantinople (Carl Ellis Wandel) to the Foreign Minister (Erik Scavenius)

Report

Nr. 104
Constantinople, 4 May 1916.

Mr. Foreign Minister,

The official Turkish Gazette has finally advanced so far with its publications that it is possible to assess the legislative work of the parliamentary session that ended 13 March this year.

1 March 1915, the parliamentary meetings were postponed until 28 September 1915, on which date the activities were resumed. As the winter 1915-16 Parliament was thus identical to the Parliament of the previous winter, no one expected any independent work from the Chambers that were completely dependent of the government and the Committee. It was only in the Senate that a sole voice offered some resistance (cf. Leg. Rep. No. LV [55] of 10 March 1916 on Ahmed Riza Bey's opposition), but this opposition did not influence the way things developed. But the reason why the government did not introduce to the Chambers the temporary law concerning the liquidation of the belongings of the deported Armenians that was issued 27 September 1915 (i.e. the day before the Opening of Parliament) may perhaps have been to avoid further provocation of Ahmed Riza. Because even without having a direct opportunity Ahmed Riza had, to wit, attacked the government for this masked confiscation law, the coming into force of which he demanded should be postponed to no avail.

By far the largest part of the Chamber's work consisted of approving temporary laws which the government had issued between the two parliamentary sessions, and only in very instances their work concerned new laws.

Among the most important laws that were introduced in Parliament were, besides from the new customs law which I have had the honor of mentioning several times, a law concerning the organization of the health service, which I will make the subject of a special report at a later point. The budget for the year 1332 (1916-17) was, as mentioned in my report No. XXXI [31] of 11 February this year, adopted in the Chamber of Deputies in a single day, and the constitutional amendments (Leg. No. LVI [56] of 12 March this year) posed no trouble to the government either.

The various moratory laws were also passed without discussion, laws that further extend the moratorium that was introduced at the outbreak of the war; the significance of that moratorium is, by the way, becoming increasingly smaller as it only applies to claims from before the World War, 65 percent of which the debtors have up until now had to pay by instalments on account according to the various laws.

Economically significant were also the various laws concerning the loans obtained in Germany and the corresponding note issues, laws considered by the Chambers as faits accomplis.

In order to remedy the poor harvest prospects a series of laws were passed on the distribution of seed corn, as well as a law on the combat of the locust plague.

Connected to the regular rise in prices was the law on the temporary suspension of the import duty on certain articles of necessity, a law that furthermore decreed that such articles cannot be requisitioned.

The government's lack of money caused the passing of a law that decrees that those persons who paid 44 Turkish pounds at the outbreak of the war to be exempted from military service now have to pay 30 pounds a year. At the same time the draft age was raised from 45 to 50 so that persons from these 5 classes have to pay 22 pounds to avoid being drafted.

The government had requisitioned the concessioned companies (railroads, etc., etc.) run by subjects from countries at war with Turkey, and a new law now authorizes the government to cash the funds that those companies have lodged at the banks and use them as they see fit.

Regarding enemy subjects it is also worth noticing that the temporary law was passed that bans payments to enemy subjects, takes away the right of such subjects to benefit from the moratorium, etc., etc.

Furthermore, 10 million Turkish pounds were extraordinarily voted to the Ministry of War for 1915-16, in addition to 1,500,000 pounds for that ministry to build certain strategic railroads.

The statutes of "Banque Agricole" were changed, and the bank's area of activities was expanded through a law that was also presented to the Chambers and quickly passed.

Due to the shortage of small change, laws were passed concerning the issue of 1/2 and 1/4 pound notes. Through another law, the compulsory rate of exchange for Ottoman Bank notes that had hitherto only been in force in Constantinople was now extended to the whole Empire.

The law concerning the requisitioning of ships, etc., was subsumed under a law which, contrary to the previous laws, did not contain the words "ships under Ottoman flag," possibly so that in the future any requisitioning of neutral ships could be based on Ottoman legislation. Finally, it should be mentioned that a 300 pounds monthly increase of salary was voted to the Vice-Generalissimo (Enver Pacha), and 150 pounds a month to the Army Chiefs, as well as various sums to Arab tribal chiefs with the purpose of countering the dissatisfaction in Arabia.

With the highest esteem I remain, Mr. Minister, yours faithfully
[Wandel]