The corvée, as you know, in Egypt applies to labor on river embankments,
canal excavations, and dikes, ditches, etc., as well as to work on public
roads. It is a public measure similar to what is in force in almost every
State of the Union. Enforced labor is imposed in the United States for
usually not exceeding ten days of every year, while the Egyptian law, except
in cases of dangerous emergency, requires service for not exceeding thirty
days. In a country without rain, where its agriculturists may work in their
fields for three hundred and sixty-five days in the year, and where
agriculture could return nothing without public irrigation, as well as
public protection against the inroads of floods, this service is, in my
opinion, exceedingly proper. For the Government of Egypt to propose to
abolish the corvée would entail upon it an expense which would wreck almost
any nation. The question has been presented to the world as one in which
civilization is involved.
The European powers, signing at London, contemplated indefinite abolition or
the corvée, probably under pressure of this idea, but some of them have held
out against its proposed definite enforcement. France positively refused for
a time to sanction the submittal of a decree and Russia showed obstinacy,
but the powers are now asked to assent to the proposition to partially
suspend the corvée. It contemplates contracts in partial substitution of the
corvée, and to make contracts money must be used out of the Egyptian
treasury. The proposition is to expend annually 250,000 Egyptian pounds, the
equivalent of $1,250,000, in employing voluntary labor by means of contracts
in place of enforced labor for the government. Where it is necessary the
thirty days’ limit will remain in full force and be even exceeded.
[Inclosure in No.
201.—Translation.]
Draught of decree.
Whereas it is desirable for the agricultural prosperity of Egypt that the
imposition of the corvée tax should be reduced to the lowest possible
limits, and that at the same time this should be effected without buying
auv receipts or expenditures which are not shown in the budget;
[Page 1630]
Whereas our government; should, from the year 1887, include in the
budgetary returns all sums accruing from the purchase of exemptions from
the corvée; also all other receipts, whatever they may be, which may be
obtained in the future, and that the employment thereof shall be shown
in the expenditure account: We, Khedive of Egypt, with the advice of our
ministers and the approval of the powers, have decreed and do now
decree:
Article 1. From the year 1887 the sum of
5,237,000 Egyptian pounds, the amount fixed for the annual
administrative expenses of the government, shall, in accordance with
article 18 of our decree of July 27, 1885, be increased in accordance
with the conditions which follow:
- (1)
- From the sums accruing from the purchase of exemptions from
the corvée during the preceding years, conformable to our decree
of the 25th of January, 1881.
- (2)
- From a sum of 250,000 Egyptian pounds.
These credits will be exclusively applied to works actually executed by
means of the corvée. Future budgets will be increased by a sum equal to
that which has been placed at the disposal of the ministry of public
works by the budget of 1887.
Art. 2. The Caisse de la
Dette shall have power to control all such credits opened at
the ministry of public works, so as to insure that such have been
properly applied.
In regard to the credits of the ordinary budget of the public works,
credits which are estimated at 464,623 Egyptian pounds, the Caisse de la Dette shall require as proof of
these credits having been properly employed the production of a list,
drawn up by chapters and subchapters by the finance ministry, showing
that these credits have been entirely expended in payment for public
works. For the credits over and above the sum of 5,237,000 Egyptian
pounds, that is to say, for the credit of 250,000 Egyptian pounds and
for that which will be included in the returns from the purchase of
exemptions from corvée, the proper application or employment of the same
shall he proved by producing at the Came de la
Dette all the accounts justifying the expenditures made.
Art. 3. If the credits of the ordinary budget
for public works shall be less than the sum of 464,623 Egyptian pounds,
or if this sum has not been entirely expended, the increase of the
administrative expenditure authorized by the present decree shall be
reduced by a sum equal to the diminution of the credits, or to the
amount of the unexpended credits.
Art. 4. The manner in which the above-named sum
of 250,000 Egyptian pounds is to be employed and distributed among the
different Moordiriehs shall be determined each year by decree. A fair
and equitable distribution of this sum is to be made among the various
provinces after the Caisse de la Dette has been
consulted. If, in the course of the year it shall be found necessary to
execute works to meet special and unforeseen circumstances, a new
division or distribution of the sum shall be made by the minister of
public works, who shall give notice thereof to the Caisse de la Dette. Our minister of public works shall forward
us, at the end of each year, a report, which shall be published in the
Journal Officiel, setting forth the exact number of corvée days which
would have been required of the population and the profit in the
reduction of the same as calculated on the average of the last four
years, according to the lists published by the Journal Officiel of June
30, 1886.
Art. 5. The administrative expenses, authorized
by the decree of July 27, 1885, can be increased by drawing on the sums
necessary for the working of the petroleum mines, such increase not to
exceed the sum of 40,000 Egyptian pounds in 1887, and for succeeding
years the amount yielded by the mines.
Art. 6. Our ministers of finance and public
works are intrusted, in so far as it concerns them, with the execution
of the present decree.
Done at the palace _______ the _______ of ______, 188—.
By the Khedive:
______ _______,
The President of the Council
of Ministers.
______ _______,
Minister of Finance.
______ _______,
Minister of Public Works.