File 3852/1912 Pt 2 'Persia. Conditions in South Persia. German Documents' [‎225r] (81/280)

when the then minister of finance, Sani-ed-Dowleh, who had
been educated in Europe, presented his budget in Parliament
independent!}^ of the financial adviser Bizot, a Frenchmen,
whom Shuster has sufficiently characterised 1 ). Sani-ed-Dowleh
pleaded at the time for a tax on town-property and for an in
crease of the import duties on tea and sugar, the proceeds of
}^Vch he wished to see devoted to the re-establishment of
public order, the making of roads and educational purposes.
Against such “a prejudice to their own interests” the diplo
matic agent of England, Marling 2 ), strongly protested. He
reported with naive indignation and surprise to Grey, that
the Persian minister of finance was not considering a foreign
loan (against adequate concessions of course) but in the first
instance an increase of revenue, which might serve as guarantee
for loans later on!
The possibility of opening up new sources of revenue
being destroyed and the collecting of the taxes itself requiring
a strict organization which in its turn could only be maintained
by a regular payment of the salaries of officials, there remained
at last only the unpleasant resource of a new loan. Relations
were entered into with France and Germany; a private London
Bank was negotiated with; the pawning of the crown jewels
was taken into consideration; every means seemed justifiable
to save Persia from a new Anglo-Russian loan with its extor
tionate terms. But England and Russia prepared an untimely
end for these negotiations by their note, which was presented
to the Persian Government on April 7 th I 9 10 - f his note with
its elastic paragraphs allowed England and Russia to put
their veto against every foreign loan which implied concessions,
on the ground of political or strategical interests 3 * ). On May 20
Russia and England—not Russia alone, as Browne would have
1 ) Shuster, Strangling of Persia, p. 66 .
2 ) English Blue Books Persia No. i (i9°9) N°- 113 . Marlings report to
Grey is one of the most striking instances that England endeavoured to pre
vent every attempt at financial reform by bringing forward the vainest ob
jections and reasons even before Shuster’s ingenious attempt at reorganisa
tion. Marling’s report on his brutal treatment of the Persian minister to
whose ideas Shuster reverted, concludes with the contemptuous phrase.
It is unnecessary to give a detailed account of Sani-ed-Dowleh s Budget.
3 ) English Blue Books Persia No. 1 ( 19 11 ) ^°- ^7 with enclosure.
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