Coll 28/112A ‘Persia. Tabriz – Monthly despatches of internal situation in Azerbaijan & misc. reports.’ [‎447v] (897/1237)

G .4 O
The new Director of the Persian Transport Office in Tabriz was £?
until recently UKCC representative in Shiraz. He relates that
about last December in Shiraz he had an order to intercept all
empty southbound trucks» as no steamer had arrived at Bushire from
which they could be loaded. He did so* for thirty days or more*
and then was told to send them all* about 300 by this time* back
to Tehran. With the encouragement of his area superintendent* he
loaded about half the lorries for Tehran* netting roughly about
one million rials for the corporation. When presently he reported^
in person in the Tehran head office he expected a pat on the back
for having loaded vehicles which would otherv/ise have rattled
empty to Tehran* and for earning so much money* but he was S
reprimanded instead. He went on to say that the Consul* Mr.Brenan*
had tried to get goods backloaded on empty vehicles* but that the
corporation’s policy was firmly against that. "It is just a lack
"of proper organisation"* he concluded. That hurt* coming from
a Persian.
I wish to make it clear that I am as hostile as I could be to
any fairy godmother policy towards Persians. They should be made
to pay for everythin., they get. They won’t mind that. Good
business men* these Tabriz merchants are as quick to appreciate
logical* economical* and business-like arrangements as they are to
despise illogical rigidity. When one considers the abuses which
have flourished under this policy of refusing backloads* how it has
led to delay to trucks* then the case against it is surely over
whelming.
r In an effort to stop the illegal traffic fostered so largely
by its own policy* the corporation have sent two ex-warrant officers
from the 8th Army to patrol the roads. They get £700 a year* plus
important allowances* and minus only some £4 a month for Persian
income-tax* much more* that is* than H.M. Vice Consul here draws
now. One of them has been a thorn in the flesh to the local
jnn^r-er. Tr e is the old soldier par excellence W'ith pretensions
to gentility thrown in* But the very old Adam came out ^hen he
was told to set up, quarters in Mianeh. _.He took a house and was _
found buying, a double Ded in Tabriz. His, disgusted mate then told
the story* He had found a woman to keep house with a daughter of
17 to warm the double bed* at a joint salary of Rls.lQOO a month.
The arrangement' broke down because he could not satisfactorily
indicate to the mother what provision there would be for possible
children. "You see* sur* she wur a virgin* she wur. That made
"all the difference" explained the other ex-sergeant* a huge man
who finds it difficult to express his ideas. I did not pursue
why it made all the difference. Presumably this is a bit of the
8th Army’s lore* acquired in the desert. Anyhow* the story of
the Rls.1000 has got round* an! now the home is nicely fixed with
a Russian woman to do the unromantic chores* her Turkish husband*
and a daughter of under 20 to take the risks which the virgin
could not face. • * •
An inspector has arrived to look into this matter* and even
if he does not feel he can afford to throw the fellow out*
personnel being so short* he will put an end to this state of things*
The incident might well be quoted to prove how the British
army put prices up. The mujtahid from Mahabad has just brought his
wife to Dr.Hargreaves for an eye operation. As she will be unfit
for work for some weeks the old fellow is to take another forthwith
to carry on the household work* and he told Dr.Hargreaves that as he
would sign up the papers himself the total cost would be Rls.100.
Once she has got that she works for her keep merely. But if the
story of the Rls.1000 a month gets around up here there will be no
more ten toman 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. wives to be had.
(Signed) R.V/.Urquhart*
3678
Tabriz.
9th June, 19^3