'Administration Reports 1925-1930' [‎29r] (62/418)

43
Persian Government having sanctioned a grant of Ts. 300 for tlie purpose of which
Ts. 200 were spent under the supervision of the Assistant Superintendent of
the I. E. T. D. Dahane Bagi.
The Officer Commanding by means of forced village labour has, I believe,
made fair-weather tracks suitable for motor traffic (under favourable conditions)
to Saidabad ; and it is his professed intention to continue this track across the
hills to Daulatabad and thence to Kahnoo in Budbar. But even if this project
is carried out I do not suppose the track will survive any heavy rain.
Mr. Fitzsimmons, the American Provincial Director of Finance, has shown
great interest in the matter of communications in the Province and has called
several meetings to ventilate the question and interest local merchants. These
discussions have not yet reached a practical stage and the schemes vary between
making a metal road from Duzdab to Kerman and building a railway from Bandar
Abbas.
The postal service between Duzdab and Kerman except for an inevitable
interruption in the summer consequent on the tfarhad rising was regular and
satisfactory. The post takes 6 days at most over the distance 330 miles. The
same cannot be said for the postal service from the West. Letters from Tehran-
less than twice the distance from Duzdab—take any thing from 4 to 6 weeks, ,a
great hindrence to business and to administrative efficiency.
B.—Local Government and Politics.
9. Local Officials, Governor General— Governor General, Nizam-ed-
Dauleh, did not long servive the difficulties he had got into at the close of 1924
with various local officials and with the Russian Consulate. He blundered badly
early in the year by engineering a protest against the head of the Police and the
Chairman of the Municipality with the scarcely concealed object of filling these
posts with his own nominees ; and was recalled shortly after. People professed
to be relieved at his departure and welcomed in His Excellency Vossuq-es-
Saltaneh (Dadwar)—who came from Shiraz in the early summer a man who
would stand no nonsense. Dadwar began by vigorously squashing local intri
gues and activity discouraging any Russo-phil taint he discovered among the
officials, thus falling foul of the Soviet Consulate from the start. He got
' Xauzari ' recalled almost immediately, and Mukha'tib, the Telegraph Master,
very soon after. But unhappily his zeal for being the strong Governor soon
outran his discretion. He embroiled himself (as has already been related) with
the O. C. M. and this Consulate : and later, with all the officials of the place by
turn. _ He formed round himself a small clique consisting of the Officer Com
manding, the Public Prosecutor and one or two smaller fry—all of whom did
jusi what the O. C. told them. An atmosphere of suspicion and intrigue grew
up which alienated every body, and his recall early in September—after he had
turned out the Assistant Governor General Rafat-ud-Dauleh in order to put in
a military officer, in defiance of Tehran, was hailed with general relief. He was
greedy in money matters ; and though he certainly put a stop to pro-Russian
intrigue, Kerman got no practical benefit from his administration. His failure
must, I fear, be put down not to lack of capacity but to defects of character. He
was certainly led astray by the O. C. ; but more by his own egotism. He was
like the man of whom Dr. Johnson said " he might do very well as long as he
could outrun his character ; but the moment his character got up with him it
was all j over " ! Dadwar's character overlook him 2 weeks after he had arrived
in Kerman.
Finance Department Ezz ul Mamalik was Provincial Director of
Finance from the beginning of the year till the middle of October, when he was
relieved by Mr. Fitzsimmons. Haji Ezz ul Mamalik was a real friend of this
Consulate ; while he eschewed politics, he kept us informed of all that was going
on in his own department. He was respected by all classes, and his departure
was a great loss to the place. He endeavoured not unsuccessfully to establish
some sort of connection with Dost Mohammed of Bampur to whom he sent a
military financial mission in the spring which brought back some useful know-
leage of the geographical conditions of that region, and revenue arrears to the
extent of some 5 or 6 thousand tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. .
Mr. Fitzsimmons, who succeeded him, labours under the dual handicap of
entire ignorance of the language, and of the country. But his eagerness to be
up and doing' scorns such obstacles., and before he had been 10 days in Kerman
he had sent invitations to Dost Mohammed of Bampur to Qome in and discuss
revenue affairs with him, and had sent similar invitations to 4 Sarhaddi Sardars
Lc586FD ......