'Administration Reports 1905-1910' [‎13r] (30/616)

RESIDENCY An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. FOR THE YEAR 1905-1906. 9
salaries and as a rule are anxious to keep in the good books of the British
authorities as far as their predatory habits allow them.
The two most serious questions connected with Persian Mekran at present
Traffic in Arn.. .nd k .™ f 6 ' ^ t « de m contraband arms
irom Maskat, and, secondly, the prevalence
of the slave traffic among the people themselves.
The Persian Government seem to be impotent as well as disinclined to
take any effective steps to cope with either of these evils, and the result is that
it is left to the Government of India and its officers to take such measures as
they can for their suppression or mitigation, in the former case in their own
interests, and in the latter, in the cause of humanity.
The traffic in arms by gangs of Afghans and frontier tribesmen, which
has been so brisk for the last three years, must be regarded rather as a
recrudescence than as any new departure of the industry. Considerable
numbers of Afghans used to visit Maskat in similar gangs ten years ago,
but it is probable that at that time their modus operandi was not so
deliberate and well organised as it is now, and the seizure of the S.S.
Baluchistan cargo by H.M.8. Lapwing in 1899 seems to have caused a panic
among these gentry, which for two or three years kept them away. During
the last three years, however, they have been gradually resuming their opera
tions and these have been much facilitated by the appearance in Maskat of
Prench and Russian merchants who have embarked largely on this trade in
arms and whose operations are the bolder in that they do not labour under
the restrictions which are imposed upon British subjects in regard to the sale
of arms in Maskat territory.
In the suppression of this traffic, which is of much importance to the
Government of India, the Persian Government have undertaken to co-operate,
and in pursuance of the arrangement Captain P. McConaghey, Assistant
Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Panjgur, was deputed on special duty in March 1906 to
meet a Persian representative, and in consultation with him to devise measures
for the concerted action against the smugglers.
Metr.nisi.yc Traffic. ^ The question of the M elf rani slave
tramc has been dealt with sufficiently in
the body of the report.
In April 1905 a joint meeting was convened at Charhar for the settlement of
charbar meetings. tlie claim ? bot h the Telegraph Depart-
ment and Mekran Coast Ports as well as
of ihe Kalat Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. against Persian subjects. The Persian Government was
represented by the Governor of Bampur and the Government of India by the
Nazim of Mekran. About half a lakh One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of outstandings were found to exist
and claims to the value of some Rs. 20,000 were subsequently settled.
Again in the spring of 1906 the two meetings were combined and a joint
Court held at Charbar at which Captain McConaghey, on deputation in
connection with the arms traffic, was able to be present. As far as the
labours of the Committee were concerned, the work done was eminently
satisfactory, but it remains to be seen how far the Persian Government will
insist on the execution of the Awards given.
The chief event of the year was the delivery, on the 8th Ammst 1906, vtt _ m qc w
French Flag Case. of the Award of the Tribunal assembled
. . J , at permanent Court of Arbitration at
the Hague m virtue of the compromise between Great Britain and Prance on
13th October 1904 for the settlement of the French Plag question.
It is not necessary to go into the details of the Award here, as the
Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. has dealt with them fully; suffice it to say that on the whole
they were considered satisfactory both to the Sultan and ourselves. In fact
according to the evidence obtained by the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. it would not appear
that more than 14 owners and 18 dhows satisfy the conditions entitling
them to fly the flag. b
It is probable, however, that the exigencies of general politics and the
entente cordiale with France wdll prompt His Majesty's Government to advise
o