مجموعة ٥/٢٨ "السكك الحديدية وغيرها؛ مقطع ميرجاوه-دوزداب على خط السكك الحديدية في دوزداب؛ التأثير على الطرق" [و‎‎٤‎٢‎٤] (٨٧٠/٨٥٨)

CONFIDENTIAL.
1424
i
Commercial Diary of His Britannic Majesty’s Consul, Sistan and Kain, for the
of October and November 1930 . I 9 3 * 1
-r 3 * 5
1. Attached to this report are tables
comprising details of impoits add exports
via the Duzdap Railway during the period
under review.
Figures for the corresponding months
of 1929 are given for facility of com
parison.
2. Below will be found totals for im
ports and exports during October and
November 1930 and corresponding
months of 1929.
Imports.
Weight
Value in
Mds. Srs.
Rs.
October
1929
. 26,571
00
6,70,476
>»
1930
. . 38,614
07
5,19,152
November
1929
. 26,602
00
4,64,203
»»
1930
• . 48,87b
31
4/4,736
Exports.
October
1929
. 21,411
00
8,89,486
,*
1930
. 21,796
37
9,51,920
November
1929
. 22,918
00
7,14,248
99
1930
. 18,085
03
7,79,016
Total
Exports and Imports.
Weight
Value in
Mds. Srs.
Rs.
October
1929
. 46,982
00
15,59,962
99
1930
. 60,411
04
14,71,072
November
1929
. 49,520
00
11,78,451
99
1930
. . 66,961
34
12,63,751
3. General Observations .—As foretold in
the Diary for September 1930 the Bazaar
rate for rupees at Duzdap increased to
from 8—10 Krans per rupee in Novem
ber. The National Bank appears to have
lost control of the situation. Although
no transactions took place openly it is
known that many thousands of rupees
changed hands in the Bazaar at S 10
Krans.
It may be said that a new form of
income has arisen for the not inconsider
able class of persons who “ live by their
wits” as a result of the exchange
restrictions. A case came to the notice
of His Majesty’s Consul in which a
traveller imported rupees. He was not
well conversant with the regulations in
this connection.
He was approached by an individual
who offered to buy the rupees at about
7 Krans, but having learnt that the
bazaar rate was in the neighbourhood of
9 Krans he decided to sell elsewhere,
whereupon the disappointed would-be
purchaser turned informer, with the
result that the rupees were confiscated,
the owner being guilty of transgressing
the law re-sale of foreign exchange and
the informer duly received a considerable
proportion of the confiscated money as
reward.
He thus safely played the game of
“ Heads 1 win, Tails You lose ”. There
can be no doubt that a good deal is
made in “ Blackmail ” by unscrupulous
persons who come to know of private
transactions in the bazaars.
Optimism prevailed at Duzdap among
the Indian importers of tea and sugar
during October, owing to the shortages
of stocks which had previously existed
up-country. Past experience of the
futility of flooding the market did not
discourage the scramble for easy profits
and the inevitable disillusionment took
place in November, when it was found
that Persian traders who had purchased
heavily in September were not only fail
ing to repeat orders but in many cases
failed also to meet their obligations for
September purchases.
This is not surprising inasmuch as the
sugar imported in October was sold to
Persians for the interior at a profit of
Rs. 10 per maund, while they experienc
ed a loss on resale of Ts. 2 per maund.
Tea suffered the same fate as sugar.
At the end of November it is estimat
ed that there were in Duzdap about 3,000
bags (Md. 2 seers 28 each) of sugar still
unsold.
Traders appear likely to lose on the
swings of November what they gained
on the round abouts of September and
October. In fact trade during the past
three months has been a complete gam
ble, in which the only gainers appear to
have been the Persian Government in
the matter of Customs receipts.
Persians purchased sugar and tea at high
rates and sold at a loss while they sold
Persian produce for export at equally
high rates to Indians, who similarly in
curred loss on disposal in India.
On the whole the Indian traders are
likely to get the worst of the deal, for
many of them invested capital in India
igr^