In certain other respects, however, the Bagdad Railway Convention was radical and far-reaching in its innovations. Worthy of first mention among its unusual provisions is the sweeping tax exemption granted the concessionaires by _Article 8_: “Manufactured material for the permanent way and materials, iron, wood, coal, engines, cars and coaches, and other stores necessary for the initial establishment as well as the enlargement and development of the railway and everything pertaining thereto which the concessionaires shall purchase in the empire or import from abroad shall be exempt from all domestic taxes and customs duties. The exemption from customs duties shall also be granted the coal necessary for the operation of the road, imported abroad by the concessionaires, until the gross receipts of the line and its branches reach 15,500 francs per kilometre. Likewise, during the entire period of the concession the land, capital, and revenue of the railway and everything appertaining thereto shall not be taxed; neither shall any stamp duty be charged on the present Convention or on the Specifications annexed thereto, the additional conventions, or any subsequent instruments; nor on the issue of Government bonds; nor on the amounts collected by the concessionaires on account of the guarantee for working expenses; nor shall any duty be levied on their stock, preferred stock and bonds, or on the bonds which the Imperial Ottoman Government shall issue to the concessionaires.” Thus the Bagdad Railway not only was assured of a subsidy constituting a preferred claim on certain taxes collected from the Turkish peasantry, but, in addition, was exempted from the payment of important contributions to the national revenue. The extent to which such an arrangement would confound confusion will be clear if one will recall that many other restrictions on the collection and disbursement of public funds were vested in the Ottoman Public Debt Administration.[52] Incidental to the railway, the Bagdad Company was granted other valuable concessions. The corporation was given permission to establish and operate tile and brick works along the line of the railway. For the direct and indirect use of the railway and its subsidiary enterprises the Company was authorized to establish hydro-electric stations for the generation of light and power. The erection of necessary warehouses and depots was permitted as essential to the proper operation of the railway. The Anatolian Railway was empowered to provide for satisfactory ferry service between Constantinople and Haidar Pasha, in order to insure direct sleeping-car service from Europe to Asia and to provide other facilities for through traffic. All of these subsidiary projects were to enjoy the same exemption from taxation as the railway itself.[53]