File 1912/897 Pt 1 ‘Persian Gulf. British post offices [also in Turkish Arabia]’ [‎187v] (379/462)

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our Agencies were the lineal successors, at a time when the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. route
was (as it may well be again) the most rapid between Europe and India.
From the time of their inception until 1877, when Persia was admitted to
membership of the International Postal Union, there were no regular post offices
at all in Persia except those maintained by the Indian Government : the British
Legation at Tehran and the 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. Agent at Shiraz, however, discharged some
of the functions of postmaster by collecting letters for despatch to Bushire and
India, and by distributing letters for the benefit of British officials and subjects
and a few other persons, including Persian officials; snd the records of this
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 that period bear testimony to the appreciation of Persian notables
and others in the interior for the facilities afforded. These however ceased to be
accorded in 1878, as the result of an agreement between the Persian Government
and the Government of India, though the Persian Government had at first sug
gested that the British Indian Postmaster at Bushire should be placed also in
charge of the Persian Post office there.
3. In 1901, a further restriction of the activities of British Post offices in
Persia took place, the Government of India accepting a proposal by the Persian
Government that the various Indian Post offices should not accept postal matter
intended for delivery at any place in Persia, in order that they might not compete
with the newly established Persian Post offices; whilst in 1902 orders were
issued for the discontinuance of the old established practice of sending letters for
delivery out of the Post office, thus for instance putting a term to the delivery of
letters on Qishm Island from the Bandar Abbas Post Office, and to the house to
house and suburban delivery on Bushire Island.
In 1903, the Belgian Customs Administration having taken charge of the
Persian Post office, Monsieur Naus demanded and obtained the adoption by
British Post Offices in Persia of Union instead of Indian inland letter post rates
;a reform involving an increase of 250 per cent in postal rates for British subjects
in Southern Persia, and very distasteful to the latter in consequence.
4. In 1910, a Parcels Post Convention was concluded with the Persian Gov
ernment which whilst regularizing the position generally, restricted considerably
our old established privileges in this direction.
In the same year a further concession was made to the Persian Government,
the Indian Post offices which had hitherto had the monopoly of despatching
letters to India and Europe, being instructed to accept from Persian Post offices
letters for abroad franked with Persian stamps.
c. It will be seen from the foregoing that the tendency of our postal nego
tiations during the past 30 years has been in the direction of whittling down our
prescriptive postal privileges, and it was therefore with some apprehension that I
learnt in the summer of 1912 of the proposed employment in Southern Persia
of a Belgian Director of Posts ; and I was not surprised to hear, shortly after-
•His Majesty * Minister, to Foreign Office, telegram No. 596 , dated 17 th Nov- Wards,* that the main
ember 191 a:— r , .. . . object of certain pro-
“ The need of a Belgian Postal Inspector in the south has formed the subject of , forward hv
a lengthy correspondence between the Director-General of Posts and the Treasurer pOSalS put lOrwam Dy
General. The latter has submitted this correspondence to me, from which Monsieur Molltor,
is clear that one of the Director-General’s chief objects ts to secure the abolition Rplcrian DirPPtor
of British post offices in certain Gulf ports. The Minister of Posts approves the the tSClgian UireCtOF
suggestion regarding the Postal Inspector.” 0 f Posts at Tehran,
was to secure the abolition of certain British Post offices in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
This correspondence following hard upon indications from Mohammerah of
the desire of the Belgian Director of Posts to pursue a more active policy, to
revert, in fact, to the attitude of hostility to our post offices which he sheM so
notably in 1907, has led me to endeavour to examine our postal machinery in the
Gulf ports with a view to suggesting the adoption, while there is yet time, of any
improvements which political exigencies and the growing requirements of trade
may indicate.
6 It was likewise this development which prompted the suggestion which I
had the honour to
Res dent, to Foreign Office, repeated Foreign and Minister, No. 37-115 dated 0 fl er f or
Foreign, to Foreign Office, repeated to Resident, No. 50 ‘ 0 ., dated 24 th January deration
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ment
consi-
of Govern-
recently that