'A Précis of the Relations of the British Government with the Tribes and Shaikhs of 'Arabistan By Lieutenant A T Wilson, Acting Consul for Arabistan' [‎41v] (87/143)

68
*
anything contrary to our interests and that they would take suitable steps
to remove our objections.
The Dutch Government were also informed that we could not support
any scheme opposed to our interests or to the ideas of the Shaikh. They
replied that they would give timely warning to the syndicate which is to be
formed, that no work could be undertaken without the co-operation of the
Shaikh of Mohammerah and unless the support of the British Government
was assured.
The Shaikh took strong objection to the option having been granted, and
asserted that he and he alone had the right to carry it out, and without his
good-will it could not be made a success. An attempt even on his part to
coerce the Arabs would be disastrous. He desired to telegraph to the Persian
Government that the Arabs were disturbed by rumours of a foreign irriga
tion concession, and would not agree to it, and that it would be dangerous for
the Persian Government to give such a concession.
His Majesty’s Minister, however, thought it unnecessary at present for
him to send such a telegram as the prospect of a concession granted seemed
to be remote. A few days later the Shaikh begged for a loan for the purpose
of financing a not too ambitious irrigation scheme worked by himself.
In March 1909, His Majesty’s Minister was informed that the Shah had
granted a farman to the Shaikh confirming the latter in his rights over the
’Abbadan I, and over the land on the bank of the Karun. This information
he said was very vague, but he could get no more : he asked for further details
in regard to the farman. His Majesty’s Minister’s despatch No. 137 of 8th
October 1902, forwarding lists of requests of the Mu’izz-es-Saltaneh and the
replies of the Persian Government thereto, were overlooked and the Shaikh
himself, it should be noted, had not mentioned existence of the farman to
any one, and in fact still seemed to be unaware of its existence.
Sir William Willcocks visited Ahwaz in 1909 to report on the possibili
ties of irrigation offered by a dam on the Karun there. He spent a day at
Ahwaz and returned to Mohammerah. He reported both the Karkhah
(which he had not seen) and the Karun to be very easy to utilize for irriga
tion and he believed that both projects would be very remunerative, and sug
gested advancing £250,000 at once for the Karkhah project. But he con
sidered that a large scheme of irrigation on the Karun would damage the
date plantations on the Shatt-al-’Arab which depend on Karun silt, he said,
an< ^ any scheme should therefore be delayed until the Turks
had had time to make their date groves independent of the Karun. He later
on, however, modified this opinion and it may be taken as an undoubted fact
that the influence of the Karun irrigation scheme, if any, would be far less
than that originally anticipated by him.
The Shaikh meanwhile, with a view rather to induce the British Gov
ernment to increase its stake in his territory than to develop his lands
broached a scheme for leasing lands on the Karun near Mohammerah on long
lease to British or Indian Companies. He had tentatively approached
several native merchants at Basrah, but did not come to terms, his conditions
being more onerous than they were prepared to accept.
v h - e d , id ^ ot , offe . r al >y vel 7 practicable opening for British capital
and it is doubtful whether it was put forward at all seriously. The sugges-
tion was not actively pressed but it was useful in that it afforded the Politi
cal Resident an opportunity for asking the Shaikh to give us exact copies of
°? whlch i the territorial tenure of himself and'his tribesmen
Sentemhlr Were for . in A P ril 1909 but ^ was not until
September 1910 that they were forthcoming.
th f- Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. vjisited the Shaikh and obtained
as follows ^ dec aratlons on the sub ject of irrigation schemes in ’Arabistan
frqraVbe P^sian GoW^nmenMl,™ herebv . P led ? ed and hound should I at any time oh tail
ersian Government the concession for constructing the Ahwaz dam, that in cas
IT