File 1329/1910 'Persia: Imperial Bank (Seistan Branch)' [‎27v] (58/343)

It would simplify matters a great deal and show more real keenness on the
part of traders if they would send their own agents to India to sell their goods
and with the proceeds make the required purchases in India and forward them
in the ordinary way. If their imports exceed the exports their agent could
draw on them telegraphically or otherwise and the money be remitted through
me, just as a Bunjar merchant here does regularly. This latter is a man who
does^a hundred times more trade than all the merchants of Seistan put to
gether and yet asks for no artificial assistance.
You say this question of agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. is most important and the future of our
trade will depend largely on how it is solved. I cannot agree with you, in
fact, I consider the whole think a huge mistake. By introducing a fourth party
you can only increase the value of goods, and the very first thing to consider,
if you wish to assist a struggling trade to compete wuth Russian, is, how to land
your goods at such a price as will enable you to meet the oppositions on equal
terms. This can never be achieved, in the manner you suggest. If Russian
trade is Bounty fed and our Government wish to oust or even compete with
it they must adopt the same tactics, although nothing, in my opinion, but
natural trade will ever stand the test of time.
I am awfully sorry, Major, I cannot assist you more in your endeavour
to increase trade, hut the idea seems to me wrong and no lasting good to trade
will ever come of it.
Log telegram, dated the 27th July 1908.
From—His Britannic Majesty’s Consul, Seistan and Kain, Camp Salmabad,
To—The Manager, Imperial Bank of Persia, Seistan.
Your letter of 13th January refers only to the single instance of carpets
and does not say if you are able to assist in any way prospective English
buyers of other local products of which specimens have been sent home. Can
you not in any way act as an intermediary between English buyers and Persian
firms ? It is next to impossible for English houses to have dealings with
Persians without such assistance.
Log telegram, dated the 28th July 1908.
From—The Manager, Imperial Bank of Persia, Seistan,
To—His Britannic Majesty’s Consul, Seistan and Kain.
Your log of yesterday.
If English firms care to send their orders through me simply to be passed
on accepting all responsibility as to the quality, quantity, etc., I shall be pleased
to pay for the goods if they instruct me to do so. I cannot undertake even to
look at the things, as I am not competent to pass an opinion on any local product
of Seistan or Kain. I once inspected and passed an opinion on a quantity
of wool which left here, and although it looked perfectly good wool to me the
opinion of the purchasers wiien it reached its destination was that it was very
inferior, and out of 14,000 lbs. weight 2,000 lbs odd stones and other things
were extracted. Naturally I don’t want to have anything to do with local
products acrain. If firms in England are willing to run the risk of this sort
of thing happening good and well I will do what I can, but it must be clearly
understood that my opinion is absolutely without value. You must also
remember that I am liable to be transferred in the Autumn and my successor
may know even less than I do about this sort of thing. At the best it can only
be done as an experiment and to a very limited extent as the Bank cannot
afford to increase the staff here, and if the business assumed large proportions
it would be impossible to cope with it.
CALCUTTA : PRINTED BY SUPDT. GOVT. PRINTING, INDIA, 8, HASTINGS STREET.