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MEETING THE
REQUIREMENTS AND EXPENSES OF RELOCATED ARMENIANS
The Government has written
notices to all provinces before beginning the Armenian relocation
and requested them to take precautions to meeting all needs
of the companies that would pass through their regions and
to stock food. (1)
Various orders have been given
to Immigrant and Tribe Settling Directorate for food — beverage
provision. (2) Sükrü Bey, the Immigrant and Tribe Settling
Director was individually in charge for the determination
and provision of the needs. (3) It is understood from the
documents that a total of 2.250.000 kurus has been allocated
to meet the needs of the companies and of this amount, 400.000
kurus has been allocated to Konya, 150.000 to Izmit province
subdivision, 200.000 to Eskisehir province subdivision, 300.000
to Adana province, 300.000 to Halep province, 100.000 to Syria
province, 300.000 to Ankara province, (4) 500.000 to Mousul
province. (5)
Furthermore, the provinces
could aid the immigrants from their own budgets and sometimes
new money allocations were sent from the center in accordance
with the condition of needs. (6) Meanwhile, a certain amount
of money sent from America to be given to Armenian immigrants
has been distributed to the Armenians under the knowledge
of the government, by the American missioners and consuls.
(7) Besides this, it has been understood that some Armenians
living in America have secretly sent the money they collected
among themselves to the Armenians subjected to immigration.
(8)
The Ottoman Government, while
spending such great amounts of money for relocation on one
hand, either delayed or completely canceled the debts owed
either to the state or individuals of the Armenians subjected
to migration. Likewise in a coded telegraph sent by Talat
Pasha to Maras Governor on June 1, 1915, he requested not
to take back the debts of Armenians and in another order sent
to all provinces on August 4th 1915, the tax debts
of the displaced Armenians were postponed (9).
On the other hand, health officers
have been assigned to the migrating companies for providing
therapy in case of illness. (10) Furthermore, the legal proceedings
about the criminal suspects, who were among the ones subjected
to migration, were delayed. (11)
REFERENCE:
Halacoglu, Prof. Dr. Yusuf,
Facts Relating to the Armenian Displacement (1915), TTK Publication,
Ankara, 2001.
1) Coding Office, no 55/291;
no 55/341; no 57/345; no 57/351
2) Coding Office, no 55/152;
no 55/291; no 55/341; no 55-A/17; no 55-A/135; no 57/110
3) Coding Office, no 55-A/16
(telegraph dated August 18th 1331 / August 31st
1915)
4) Coding Office, no 55-A/17
5) The budget of the Directorate
of Settlement of Tribes and immigrants for the year 1331 was
78.000.000 kurus and 1332 budget was 200.000.000 kurus and
this amount was spent for the Armenians, Greeks and Arabs
subjected to relocation and the Muslims coming from the regions
invaded by the enemy (BA, BEO, no. 334063).
6) Coding Office, no 53/305,
no 55-A/118
7) Coding Office, no 60/281
8) Coding Office, no 60/178
9) Coding Office, no 54-A/268
10) Coding Office, no 54-A/226
11) With a notification
sent from the Courthouse and Sects Ministry to the Office
of the Grand Vizier, it is notified that a decision for judging
the ones that are migrated at the locations they are sent
to and the ones that are not migrated at the locations they
were at (BA, BEO, no. 329176).
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