'Administration Reports of the Persian Gulf, 1945 [-1946]' [‎126r] (264/414)

Opium Cultivation of opium was prohibited since Aprils
and from the 22nd November its sale to tho public was stopped
by the C-overnment. It is still easily obtainable but the price
has risen rrom 10 rials to 22 rials per miskal and is still
soaring.
Pistachios .. The pistachio crop is stated to be the best for
some years. Last year a maund of 3 kilos fetched 280/- rials
for the best quality, whereas this year it has dropped to 100/-o
Local merchants have received enquiries from the U.S.A. for
large orders,
(e) Education Demrtment 6
Aqai Mehdi Kesravi held the post of Director
of Education until 16th May when he received orders of transfer# ,
Aqai Ali Naki Bahmanyar officiated until the arrival of Aqai
Zeinul Abedin Hikmat on the 17th September. Being a r^bid Tudeh
sympathiser he immediately set about giving the best appoj^-ments
to others with similar views regardless of their capacity to hold
these posts, snd causing the transfer of non-Tadehs to other
provinces or to junior and inferior posts in outlying districts.
The mosi glaring example of this was the removal of Aqai
Yadullah Mir Kusaini, the popular and efficient Headmaster of the
local Pahlavi school who was replaced by a junior member of the
Department, Established teachers were threatened with reduction
to inferior posts and pupils faced with the prospect of being
failed in their examinations if they did not join the Tudeh
movement. Some succumbed to the threat but many held out.
Eventually when school hours were devoted to the reading out of
Tudeh.propaganda to the pupils many parents were enraged and strong
representations were made to the Prime Minister, At first it
did not produce the desired result owing, it is said to Hikmat^s
relationship to the Ustandar, but towards the end of the year
Hikmat was recalled to Tehran. During this period conditions
in the Department and schools were chaotic and the administration
of the schools suffered a severe setback,
(f) National Bank,
Aqai Reza Quli Ameri held charge as manager until
the 3rd Msy when he left for Meshed on leave. Aqai Fath Ali Shaar,
the Assistant Manager of the Bank officiated as Manager until the
26th December when he was relieved by Ali Asghar Yavari,
(g) iigricultur'al Bank,
Aqai Sayed Jawad Moinzadeh held the post of
Manager throughout the year. During the year he took one month r s
leave during which period Aqai Abbas Borumand of-iciated.
For the year ending March 194-7 the Agricultural
Bank loaned a sum of 17,000 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. to landlords and- cultivators
for constructing 1 Qanats 1 and for the purchase of farming
implements. The rate ox interest on tnese loano nas remained
6^ in addition to known as f karmuzd «. The major part of
this loan has gone to Aqai Anfari of Bam.
(h) Department of Justice,
Aqai H, Akhgar held charge of the post of Chief Judge
until the 5th October when he left for Tehran on leave. Aqai
Soleiman Mirza Ibrahimi, a senior member of the Court of Apeal,
officiated during his absence,
Aqai Mohammad Husain Khwaja Nasiri, editor of
the weekly newspaper « TUITO BAD « officiated as Public Prosecutor
in the Court of Appeal throughout the ye ex.
Aqai Jalali Chief Judge of the Court of First