ECONOMIC-AGRICULTURE, MINING, INDUSTRY SOCIOLOGICAL-EDUCATION, PUBLIC HEALTH, IMMIGRATION TRANSPORTATION-ROADS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220209-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: R
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 12, 2003
• Sequence Number: 209
• Publication Date: April 14, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2003/09/03 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220209-1
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25X1 CLASSIFI ATI
25X1 CENT A ENCY
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COUNTRY Turkey
SUBJECT Economic - Agriculture, mining, industry
Sociological - Education, public health, immigration
HOW Transportation - Roads DATE DIST. I A r 1953
PUBLISHED Daily newspaper p
WHERE
PUBLISHED Istanbul NO. OF PAGES 3
DATE
PUBLISHED 9 Apr 1952
LANGUAGE Turkish SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
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THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
:SURVEY OF TURKEY-3 BILECIK PROVINCE
~omrnent The following report is a summary of one of
a series of surveys of Turkish provinces published in special
weekly supplements of the Istanbul daily newspaper Vatan,
Bilecik is a province of ruins and poverty, the legacy of the War for
Independence The government has now selected it as the area in which to
apply its "model province" project. The aim of the project is to take a
Tur'sich city and, by Civin3 it the maximum aid, to satisfy all its needs
and to eliminate 1"11 economic and cultural deficiencies. Every ministry is
allocating to Bilecik as mucn money as its budget permits. ;studies are
being made to revive the silk and grape industry and to establish a sound
price policy. The possibility of extending the telephone network to the
villages is being studied. A plan for 700 kilometers of village roads, to
coot; 350.000 lira, is under consideration.
Bilecik is essentially an agricultural province with a wide variety
of soils, climates, and crops Principal crops are cereals, fruits, vege-
tabl.es, legumes, and industrial plants. Agriculture has been but little
mechanized, there being only 38 tractors in the province.
With respect to cereals, 350,000 decares are devoted to wheat.
70.000 decares to barley, 15,000 dacares to rye, and 40,000 decares to
corn. Legumes account for 31.060 decares. Cotton is a relatively new crop
along the Sakarya River; average annual production Is 250,300 tons. The
annual sugar-beet crcp of b0,0rl-!;5,000 tons is shipped to the Eskisehir
sugar factory. The tobacco crop totals 160,000 tons of good-quality tobacco
in the. central dist-tot alone. The main fruits are quince, apples. and
grupes; the main ve stables are carrots, tomatoes, and okra; most of them
are export products. There is as yet no canning factory.
CLASSIFICATION
NAfY NSRB DISTRIBUTION
AIR F B I
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The silk industry was once very important and Bilecik silks and velvets
were exported throughout the world. At one time, the province contained 22
factories with more than 600 looms. The use of rayon, falling prices, and
the destruction of the mulberry trees virtually brought the industry to a
standstill. An attempt has now been under way for several years to revive
the industry. A 4,000-member cooperative is active and is operating a silk
factory; there are still several times as many independent producers as
belong to the cooperative. Bilecik's present annual production of cocoons
is 400,000 kilograms.
Viticulture is also much less important today than in the past, but
the Ziraat (Agriculture) Bank is now extending credits in an effort to
encourage the planting of new vineyards. The Agriculture Ministry has
established a nursery in the vicinity of Bilecik Station, which annually
distributes 20,000-30,000 shoots to the peasants. There are now 25,000
decares of vineyards, and the area is constantly increasing. Eighty percent
of the grape production is exported to Eskisehir and other provinces while
the remainder is consumed locally. Wine production is also beginning; one
plant has already been built by a Mehmet Gercek.
The mountain range extending from Bursa to Bilecik contains rich mineral
deposits, including manganese, lignite, and asbestos. At present, the pro-
vincial government is in contact with several German firms who have expressed
an interest in the exploitation of the asbestos deposits.
The province also has numerous rock and marble quarries, which have long
been operated. The marble quarries are not being worked at present because
of lack of capital.
Immigrants
The Directorate General of 3oi1 and Settlement has assigned 265 families
of Bulgarian immigrants to the province. Of these, 140 families have been
settled and provided with homes. Also, 5,592 decares of land, 55,400
kilograms of seed, 39 wagons, 61 span of oxen, 63 plows, and 14 harrows have
been distributed to them. in addition, the Ziraat Bank has provided them
with 141,990 lira in credits.
Ninety-four 'Percent of the children of school age in the province are
attending school -- a total of 15,802 (7,112 girls, 8,690 boys). There are
a total of 2d6 village schools and 13 others in cities and towns three in
Bilecik; two each in 2'azarcik, Bozoyuk, and Inonu; and one each in Kuplu, Sogut,
Golpazan, and Osmaneli. In addition, Bilecik has a girls' evening trade
school, a men's secondary trade school, and a regular secondary school. There
are also secondary schools in Bozoyuk, Golpazan, and Sogut, while in Osmaneli
and Inonu, societies have been organized with the aim of opening similar schools.
An orphan's school was established in 1949 in Yarhisar, which now has 72 girl
students end a teaching staff of eight.
Health
The general health situation is very good. There is a 35-bed state
hospital in Bilecik, dispensaries in Golpazan and Sogut, and a health center
in Bozoyik. Government doctors, health officers, and midwives are maintained
in the central and four other districts.
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Bilecik Municipality
The city of Bilecik was left in ruins by the War of Independence and
is still only half rebuilt. As yet, no development plan has been prepared.
The city is actually in two parts: old Bilecik, or Bilecik Station, and the
new section, which lies on high ground 5 kilometers from the railroad. This
situation makes development difficult.
To meet electric power needs, the city is considering the construction of
a hydroelectric plant 3 kilometers from the city at Karam; funds have already
been requested from the Ministries of Public Works and the Interior. The city
is also undertaking to improve the worn-out water system,
The present mayor is Necmi Guney, son of Mustafa Kemal Guney, who was
a deputy to the first Grand National Assembly. Although the PRP controls
the Municipal Assembly, Guney claims to be strictly independent.
Bozoyuk District
The people in general are farmers. Sugar beets are now becoming an
important crop. Viticulture was once important, and steps are now under way
to revive it; new vineyards have been planted and more are expected. Vineyards
now occupy between 7,000-8,000 decares.
The town of Bozoyuk is riot too prosperous; 400 families have moved to
Eskisehir alone in tae last 2 years. Owing to the availability of electric
power, there is some light industry, which consists chiefly of textile manu-
facture and woodworking, especially furniture.
The town was completely destroyed in the War for Independence but has
been rebuilt since then.
Sogut District
Sogut, one of the first capitals of the Ottoman Empire, is the center of
a district with a population of 23,985. The chief occupation of the people is
the raising of fruits, vegetables, grapes, and silkworms. Cotton and sugar
beets are becoming increasingly important. Cotton is now the chief occupation
of the Sakarya valley villages of Tozman, Caykoy, Torpak, Akkoy, Inlihisar,
Koyunlu, Esri, Akcasu, Eyrat, Calti, Tuzakli, Hamitabat, Borcak, and Kure.
Sugar beets, a relatively new crop, is concentrated around Sogut, Zeyv , Kepen,
Oluklu, and Savcibey. In connection with these crops, attention is being paid
to irrigation matters; plans for small irrigation projects in seven Sakarya
valley villages have been formulated.
Although Sogut is attached to Bilecik Province, it is threatened admin-
istratively by Eskisehir Province, to which 18 of its villages have been trans-
ferred in the last 8 years. Eskisehir is also the market for all of the
district's agricult,,ral products.
Of the district's 37 villag.r ., only one -- an eight-family village --
lacks a school; while only seven villages tac roads.
The town of Sogut is a center for ironwork; its plows are prized In
Bile-cik and neighboring provinces. There are two silk plants and two
~cotton7 gins in Sogut.
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