"تقرير حول طريق القوافل البلوشية الفارسية ومقاطعات نوشكي وجاغي وسنجراني الغربية" [و‎‎٧] (٧٢/١٣)

not far to seek. Some sixteen years back, the Khan found means to compel
the Zagar Mengal Chief to cede a half portion of the net revenue realized
from “ Sung ” collections to Kalat.. Till then, the dues levied were in accord
ance with a scale in vogue generations, and fairly reasonable. The result of
this was, as one might anticipate, that the Zagar Mengal Sardar, to recoup
himself for the heavy loss sustained, forthwith enhanced the dues, in some cases
so heavily as to amount to an increase of 100^ , with such disastrous results to
trans-frontier trade as quickly made themselves felt in Quetta. The Octroi
Darogha called attention to the serious diminution in such imports as ghi and
wool; Seistan merchants and Nushki traders complained bitterly of the
extortion they were subjected to; and on certainly one occasion a British
officer was deputed to halt at Nushki to report on the matter. The only
result of his visit was that further protests were addressed to both Khan and
Zagar Mengal Sardar, to which neither paid the slightest attention. Very
soon, the consequences made themselves felt further afield. Seistani mer
chants, in despair, sought other markets for their goods, and many Nushki
Baniahs emigrated in search of fields offering more profitable investments.
The few Seistani kajilas which continued to find their way to Quetta either
made a detour through Shorawak to avoid Nushki— having once paid toll
to the Afghan authorities at Chagai, they had nothing further to fear—, or,
when their numbers warranted a chance of success, fought their way through
via Nushki.
16. Trade converges on Nushki from five different sources:—
(а) From Jalk, via Galachah and Dalbandin, chiefly dates.
(б) From Seistan, via Amircha^b and Dalbandin, sheep, goats;
local Seistani products, including ghi, wool, namdahs, carpets.
(c) From Garmsel, vid Khawaja Ali, Robat (Malik Dokand),
Shi, wool, grain.
(d) From Eastern Helmand, via the Purdil Khan Road, wool,
ghi, grain, dried fruits.
(e) From Shorawak, by numerous routes across the frontier, ghi,
wool, grain.
17. Government, by allotting to Sardar Muhammad Ali Khan a fixed
annuity in lieu of his hereditary right to levy “ Sung/’ and thus freeing the
district from the dues trade had struggled against so long, has given a sorely
needed impulse to trade, and the good effects of this arrangement have already
made themselves widely felt. The fruits of this liberal policy, I unhesitatingly
affirm, would, had it not been for the action of Persia in closing Seistan
to traders, have been a stream, though possibly an intermittent one,
of camel-borne trade between Quetta and Persia. Closing Seistan to
trade has exercised—it is to be hoped but temporarily—'a most disheartening
effect on those traders whose enterprize prompted them to venture their wares by
the new route. To my certain knowledge, three test caravans were refused
permission to quit Seistan, and several others were turned back on reachino*
the frontier. The trade that has thus benefited by the abolition of “ Sung ’*
has been confined almost solely to the local Chagai-Nushki-Shorawak trade.
That this trade has benefited is clearly established by the re-opening of
several shops in Nushki and by the general revival evinced by Nushki
imports and exports returns, which show transactions aggregating, for the
months of February, March and April 1897, Rs. 95,247-14-0. These figures,
however, must be taken as merely approximate, for although most trade un
doubtedly passes through Nushki, yet a portion, which cannot well be
ignored, finds its way to Quetta by other routes.
IB. The system in vogue under which Nushki Baniahs conduct their trade
is somewhat as followsThey advance large sums to trusted Baltjch agents.