Coll 30/9 'Persian Gulf: Administration Reports 1926-1938' [‎393r] (790/1028)

CHAPTER V.
Administration Report of His Majesty’s Consulate, Kerman for the year 1929*
A. —British Interests.
1. II. M. s Consulate : personnel. —Mr. J. H. Davies was absent from March
23rd to April 21st in India when he passed the Interpreter’s test in Persian. A
week after his return he was taken ill with pneumonia and after an illness of a few
days died in. the Church Missionary Society Hospital on the 3rd May. Mr.
Davies was a very popular figure among Persians as well as Europeans. A
lung and appreciative obituary notice was published in the local press.
Captain J. R. H. Tweed, M.B.E., M.C., of the l|19th Hyderabad Regiment
vho had arrived from India on the 12th April on a year’s language leave assum
ed tempoiary charge on the 5th of May. Mrs. J. H. Davies with her two children
left for Europe overland on the 20th.
Major E. W. C. Noel, C.I.E., D.S.O., on Special Duty at Bushire was
appointed as Consul but was turned back by rebels at the Tang-i-Zagh 100 miles
from Bandar Abbas on the 18th of June and had to travel via Karachi and Duz-
dab. He reached Kerman on the 20th July and assumed charge on the 21st.
In November he went to Duzdab and brought back Mrs. Noel and 2 children.
Khan Bahadur Abdul Alim held the post of Indian Attache to H. M.’s
Consul throughout the year.
2. Consulate II ork. Out of the 12 cases pending in the Governor-General’s
Court at the end of 1928, 4 were settled before the final abolition of the Capitula
tions and compensation recovered amounted to Krans 15,557-50. The rest of
the cases were either unimportant or irrecoverable.
56 British subjects were registered during the year.
The “ Qanat ” which supplies the Zirisf quarter in which the Consulate
stands with irrigation water is owned by a large number of proprietors. Owing
to this fragmentation of holding considerable difficulty is experienced in keep
ing the “ Qanat ” in good order. A meeting of owners was called at the Con
sulate and Tumans 1920 were subscribed to complete the arrears of cleaning and
repairs. The work was still in hand at the close of the year.
The water owners seemed only too pleased to find that H. M.’s Consul was
prepared to take an interest in the matter.
3. Indo-European Telegraph Department.—In March Mr. C. E. Duggan re
lieved Mr. C. E. Treadwell as Assistant Superintendent of the Sub-Division
and Mr. A. Robertson relieved Mr. P. E. Dormer at the office and Mr. T. F. Lovell
took over from Mr. J. P. May at Dehaneh Baghi.
The Beam wireless has at present crippled the land line to India. In
August traffic had! fallen to about 10 per cent, of the lines capacity and receipts
would do little more than cover the linesman’s pay. Instructions and circulars
fiom the Boaid at home all pointed to economies and reductions in personnel
which led to a corresponding feeling of uncertainty among the staff at Kerman
where reductions have in fact already been started. The number of Armenian
signallers now stands at 5 as compared to a previous average of eight and the
services of the Indian mechanic have been dispensed jvith.
The line to Bandar Abbas built as a war measure is now useless as far as
commercial traffic is concerned. With a view to economy the annual inspection
tor the last two years has been carried out by the head Ghulam instead of the
European Assistant Superintendent.
Amnieh guard at Dehaneh Baghi was reduced from 6 to 4 men, and in
October it was given out that it would be withdrawn altogether unless the De
partment contributed Tumans 6 per mensem towards each man’s pay. After
some correspondence this was agreed to and the Rais-i-Amnieh at Kerman was
good enough to allow the Assistant Superintendent to pay the men the amount
mmselt instead of through the Amnieh department as laild down.
In (he course of the rebellion the Ghulam at Sirjan was looted when the
town was captured. A claim has been lodged.
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