File 1912/897 Pt 1 ‘Persian Gulf. British post offices [also in Turkish Arabia]’ [‎188v] (381/462)

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above the usual duties of a Post office. It has, moreover, a certain amount of
daily business contact with the Persian Post office, as, despite pillagings and
robberies, a considerable volume of postal matter is transferred weekly from the
British Post office for transmission to Shiraz and Ispahan. But the practical
working efficiency of this office is of greater importance to us than that of any
other office, for it is here alone that Foreign Consular Officers will be found, and
Bushire is the only Persian port in the Gulf where foreigners form an appreciable
part of the European population. Anxious, like all of us, for their mails, they
are prone to magnify every little shortcoming in the working of the office, and
are not slow to make capital out of its alleged deficiencies. Bushire too, is the
head-quarters of the Belgian Administration in the Gulf and it is for this reason
also very necessary that out Post office should be adequately and sufficiently
staffed : I have already been in correspondence on the subject with the Post
master-General, Bombay, and hope that, as a result of a full discussion of the
whole matter which I have had at his request with the Superintendent of Persian •
Gulf Post Offices, an arrangement may receive sanction under which the Post
master here will always be a man of a higher grade than is generally the case at
present.
I trust that, should the specific sanction of Government be required to any
additional expenditure in this direction, the matter may receive favourable
considerstion.
n. Lingah —k British Post office was first established here on ist April
1867 and has been retained ever since: for many years it was the office of
exchange for mail bags from the British enclave at Basidu, some 23 miles
distant it differs from most offices in the Gulf in that it exists entirely apart from
the British Vice-Consulate, which has only recently been established. Commis
sion is charged on money orders at the rate of 2 per cent, instead of 1 per cent
in order to prevent the accumulation of cash which led in 1898 to a serious
robbery.
l am inclined to think that this restriction, which is somewhat of a hardship
to British traders there, is no longer necessary, local conditions having
considerably changed, and I am suggesting to the Superintendent of Post Offices,
for his consideration and that of the Postmaster-General, Bombay, that commis
sion be reduced to 1 per cent as at other Gulf offices. With this exception I
have no suggestions to make with regard to the Lingah Post office.
The British Telegraph station at Hanjam received its mails
from the Bandar Abbas Post office under its own departmental arrangements
until the beginning of the present year, when, under the revised mail contract
subsidiary mail steamers began to call weekly from outwards and inwards with
mails for Hanjam.
The Government of India are familiar with the history of our position on
the Island, which has been considerably strengthened by the inception of coaling
arrangements there for His Majesty’s ships, and will shortly be further consoli
dated by the establishment of a wireless station.
I beg to suggest that, in order to make the best possible use of the new
mail service, and to strengthen our general position a Post office should be
established forthwith on the Island.
In view of the exceptional status of our concession on the Island Indian
inland rates might suitably be applied : it would be preferable on all grounds to
appoint a postmaster from India authorized to transact the same classes of
business as are accepted at Lir^gi, Mohammerah, etc. Mr. Hughes,
Superintendent of Post Offices, Persian Uulf Division, estimates the cost of such
an establishment at Rs. 100 per mensem. A cheaper though less effective and
less convenient scheme would be to create a “ branch post office ” as at Jask,
subordinate to Karachi, and give a proportionate allowance of Rs. 25 per
mensem (plus Rs. 15 for a postman) to the Telegraph official charged with
postal duties. Mr. Hughes, however, has expressed a strong preference on
departmental grounds to the establishment of a sub-office, as experience has