Coll 28/112A ‘Persia. Tabriz – Monthly despatches of internal situation in Azerbaijan & misc. reports.’ [‎164r] (330/1237)

12* /^ialrb * -a.tev^r lAoy be the prospects of a 8 ?#*dy end to
thv » ife «. It a utriuaA, c»ad J a pan, Azerbaijan o inion is coiwinoed that
tue soviet ATi^y does noi intend to withdraw in^i this provine# ontil
tne I 94 h potato crop ie r^ady for lifting* The Soviet iailitar/
authorities are obtaining th« us# of co^sidexaul# areas of sgrioultur&l
rounc fauriz, k#£aiwh and Miaash, on irhioh tiasy intend to grow
potatoes aiid other vegetables to supply the 1 garrison instead of buyliig
la the ba£ 8 *r* fhey pro os# to teach the psassuts aod^rn ^ hods of
gf^dening and to w iv# the a s share of the or )duc«* It i* not itnown on
v,h^t sort of contract^ tuis land is being taken. Arrangements were sad#
in tii# first place through the Do par Uasut of Agrioa.i.iure f but, judging by
the complaints of th# peabants round Tabriz* the Russisn# B##m to have
that this a. r hgeaent gives theia carte blanche to select a *y
■iecw 01 land that takes iheix fancy* regardless of the pro /rietor's
views, bn la^-,.owner near Bn lan stat..x that he was interviewed oy
a *.®4 Arm. ofileer who told him that in **evury village** the peasants
were volibitarily handing over pieces of land to be u.©d by the Red Amy,
aiiu as ken him to inalu a contribution# It e apparently desired to
ac.ulre lb u. ct&rve in this pertic lar village* The bailiff of another
estate near Tabriz appealed to this Oohl u 1 ate<*Cenerel for help. In the
proprietor * £ sc&encv, he said, Bed fray soldier^ had entered the estate
and btgun dlg^ii^. up the land, uprooti.ig email trees end cutting down
nig ones to prepare the ground lor their vc 4 et bias. They had seized
an area of scout 20 khalvars (c. S5 ,000 iqatTc- metres) • easants of
^arsl^n, a suburb of Tabriz, have complained to the .ater Office of the
municipality that the fuss leu sciK.se of s.srkct "gardening in that
district is de A rivixig of all their water* Ban.* of these complfiints
ere no aoubt dising nuous - the facte cm n rdly be so simple as the
pe seats ont^ad - but it does appear both that tin err..ng ament a made
by the he rtueat of Agriculture arc vague and ambiguous end that the
ued Army is acting in a eomewust high-handed manner* But, of couree,
even if the acd Army were acting in perfect good faith v.ud on the
ol«a>-ot agicement, to water the field as cultivators is at cnee to be
Involved in the endless, bitter and com liested dispute abo t water
ri : .ats toat is at tu« ueart of all failing In Azerbaijan. Whatever may
cc the re 1 bjcct of tht ciitarprise, its one care -eeult will be to
awoken the aalttOtoity of the >esw s .nts - touched in the only place where
Cat* be re*u-Liy hui t •
A seliawle ini ;r...ant ft.,o hat. recently visited Ahoi reporta that a
new Soviet military aer odrome is being constructed taere, at a gra ter
distance fro& the town than the pres.at one* ih© '?!<! one is in a
pi,,ca . neru toe gr^u..d quickly becomes water-logged*
7v v » l i -». ^u- .^u-U —iti-lAii- *-• >*aly ue -6 of ooj
interest in the past ten days has come- fr n the other side of the
front: the e is a guod deal of talk about the formation of anti-
Tudch parties, whlcxx ar. a vuetimes supposed to oe branches of beyyld
hla wd Jin's Irauei- illi l^rty, eometiaes newer fora: tions inspired
by Mull ns and local m&grxates. dome one fr the S /let Ooasulate-
General, probably a, Gull«v, toe Ottueesiaa Viev-Oo.nsul, ie reported to
nave culled on the Tabriz Mullah, Biqat ul lela a relative of th«
avi. aty of that name, asked him if he knew anything of a new party
to be formed hem calleu w Hiah'4-^slam'** The mull an aid he 'new
nothin., about it, but n course Islam, in a general ^ay, was a Good
Tiu**g* viulivv later told the Mullah*a nephew that 1x11© the 3 viet
a,, tu .ritiee have nothin^ against %m family of Big at ul Islam in
Tabriz, tn- y are keeping an e^e on his uncle, tae deputy, in Tehran,
who is H ft rki .g agaT*iSt them •
Bwlivv <. no uoufet px ?uipted to apt k to diqat ul Xalow ay the
stories reachim v Tabriz tht t in many parts >f tne province - notably
in vil ages raua Miuueh uud .•i.rdvbil - mu lahs are energetically
yrct.cuiag a* last the a den ^ ..rty, o •ndemuing it sa atheistical* In
Ardebil, the men ol G- *d are s .id to hove * lung not only texts out
bx ic :.j t•.. also at tue i idea cooh^ittee •
home«vj<it morv six carnetaxifciel atoxiea come from Mirmeh, here it
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