'Administration Report of the Persian Gulf Political Residency for the Years 1911-1914' [‎102v] (209/488)

66
PERSIAN GULF The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ADMINISTRATION REPORT
As reported last year, the state of the Customs had been far
tory/ On Monsieur Eourman's arrival he saw that it would be
do anything towards improving matters as long as he had to work witUp
staff which Monsieur Delcroix had collected and he informed His Mai J
Consul that he proposed to go slowly, but to weed them out one by one. 1
The most important person to be got rid of was Shoukat-es -Sultan [i
Inspector, who had had Monsieur Delcroix completely under his thumb, fc
sieur Fourman was able to get him removed to another post.
The next important change was the transfer to Bushire of an Armeniaii,
Baghdadlian bv name, Chief Verificator of Customs and the head of tlie elk
who had so successfully defrauded his department. As he did not proceed®
transfer on the date ordered Monsieur Fourman took the opportunity to dismig
him. In the meantime most of the others who had served with "
croix were either dismissed or,transferred, one or two being su
out in defrauding the Customs.
Monsieur Abi, a Jew, formerly a teacher in the Alliance Isr
manshah, continued as assistant to Monsieur Fourman and appears to be
right hand man. With his newly constituted staff Monsieur Ponrman k
done much to improve matters and is respected by the people of the town, era
by the merchants who are losing by not being able to defraud the Customssi
successfully as in the past. Naturally the Augean stable has not been absolute
ly cleaned, nor could one hope for so desirable an end in Persia, but whatb
been done is highly to be commended. Monsieur Fourman is a conscientid
worker and I feel convinced that he is not anti-English.
In June Monsieur Bouckaert took over the appointment of Director al
Ahwaz. Shoukat-es-Sultan had been acting since the transfer of Monsiem
Fourman. Monsieur Bouckaert appears to be strongly pro-German but tok
otherwise harmless.
With the appointment of Monsieur Mornard as Treasurer-General to
came a tendency to place every administe
Belgian Officials, tion in the charge of the Belgian Custom
officials and nowhere was this more marked than in Arabistan, where the Kro
tors of Customs had previously complained that one man was unable to coff
with the work. In succession Passports, Posts, Telegraphs and finally KeTeffl
have come into the hands of this overworked official with the result that, nffl
to the Shaikh, the Belgian Customs Director has become, for the Persian,®
most important person in Arabistan. The Governor of the Province hiw
receives his salary and has his accounts checked by the Customs DepaitWi
and it can easily be realised the importance this gives, in an Oriental countrj
to the officials of the administration which is entrusted with that work.
It is doubtful whether the Customs Department will even be able to ca
trol the revenues successfully, as at present organised. The Mustaufi ot e
have always conducted their accounts on a system which is understood on n
themselves and which even a Persian would find difficulty in following
retiring revenue officer, the Mustaufi-ul-Mamalik remarked to His Maw
Consul that the mere translating of documents, etc., so as to make them in
gible to the Customs Director, was a difficulty which seemed insurmoun.
An entirely new system would seem necessary as the only solution
difficulty. ^
With the growth of Mohammerah, and perhaps more especially
British Port Office. the work of the British Post
.,, , steadily increased during tne
wi be seen from the following figures of the receipts and output:
1912.
Ordinary letters received for delivery . . 43,920 47,964
Begistered
Books, etc., etc.
Newspapers
Parcels .
Money Orders issued
224 f d
1910.
1911.
, 43,920
47,964
. 2,989
3,513
. 8,760
9,972
. 6,960
8,828
. 1,718
3,034
.183,485
222,414
12,76»
8,172
3,202
.32,6 51