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File 930/1912 'Mohammerah - Khoremabad Railway' [‎123v] (253/396)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (194 folios). It was created in 31 Oct 1911-25 Nov 1912. It was written in English and French. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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(e) that the of the line passing through British territory and the
British zone be different from that of the line in the Bussian zone,
and that the break of gauge he at Bandar Abbas on the limit of
the British zone;
(f) that, in return for our co-operation in the main project, Russia
should pledge herself not to entertainer support, without coming
to an understanding with Great Britain, any proposal for a
in the neighbourhood of the Perso-Afghan border within the
Russian or neutral zones.
3. We concur generally in these conclusions, except in regard to a few
points as to which we find ourselves unable to endorse the recommendations
of the Committee. The first point relates to the proposed internationalisation
of the branch lines. We agree that it will be desirable to internationalise
anv branch lines that may be constructed in the neutral zone. But we see no
necessity for treating as international any branch lines which Russia or Great
Britain may decide to construct in their respective zones. We would
propose, therefore, to treat the proposed branch line from Bandar Abbas or
Charbar to Kerman as a purely British project and to keep this question out
of the negotiations with Russia, except in so far as her support may be
necessary to enable us to secure a concession from the Persian Government.
4. Secondly, we do not endorse the proposal for a branch line from
Bushire to Shiraz and Ispahan. Such a line would be a most difficult and
most costly undertaking, and would at the same time be quite unnecessary
either as a commercial project or as a bar to German enterprise, since the
construction of a line from Bandar Abbas to Shiraz and Mohammerah would
cause all the trade to pass through Bandar Abbas and Mohammerah and
Bushire would entirely lose its importance as a port. Bandar Abbas could,
we believe, be converted into a good port, while Bushire can never be a good
port, since all the big ships have to lie out at a distance of five or six miles from
the shore. Consequently, Bushire must in the end disappear as a trade centre
and a railway to Shiraz would be useless.
Whether Shiraz should be connected with Ispahan or not is another
matter. If the Trans-Persian line passes through Ispahan, as proposed by
the Consortium, a branch to Shiraz would be advantageous from the Russian
point of view, since it would provide railway communication with Shiraz
which Russian trade w T ould not otherwise have. In that case, we think
that it would be desirable to make no mention of a branch from Shiraz to
Ispahan at present. If, on the other hand, the Trans-Persian line is to avoid
Ispahan, as proposed by the Russian Government, it would be greatly to our
advantage to have a connection with Ispahan, since our trade would be able to
pour in from Bandar Abbas via Shiraz. We think, therefore, that it would
be better to take no action in regard to this branch line until it is known more
certainly wffiether the Trans-Persian line is to pass through Ispahan or not.
5. Thirdly, we disagree with the Committee as to the necessity for pro-
ceedino* w ith the construction of the Mohammerah-Hamadan line simul
taneously with the construction of the main line. Such a branch would be
useless for practical purposes, since it would have to compete with the
Baghdad-Khanikin line and the Trans-Persian Railway. Aline from Julfa
to Mohammerah would have been useful as a counterpoise to the Baghdad
Railway in the absence of the more comprehensive scheme now proposed, but
it has quite lost its value now that the Trans-Persian Railway is to be the
counterpoise. We think, therefore, that the Mohammerah-Hamadan concession
should be obtained merely for the purpose of ear-marking, as against any
attempt to connect the Baghdad Railway extension with the Gulf by this route.
6. Pinally, we are not persuaded, on the information contained in the
Committee’s report, that the practical difficulties of the alignment proposed by
Colonel Cox (namely, from Yezd to Karachi via Kerman, Bam, Regan, Bampur,
Sarbaz and Kej) are so serious as to make it necessary to adopt the more
circuitous route via Bandar Abbas, and we have some doubt whether the latter
route would prove acceptable to the Russian Government. We would prefer

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Content

The volume concerns proposals for the construction of a British-owned railway between Mohammerah [Khorramshahr] and Khoremabad [Khorramabad] in Persia.

The papers include: the response of the Shaikh of Mohammerah, the Government of Persia, and the Government of Russia to the proposals; an India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. 'Memorandum on Persian Railways' dated June 1911 (including a map entitled ' Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and Adjacent Countries', dated June 1908, on folio 184, to illustrate the memorandum); a Government of India 'Report of the Committee on the Proposed Trans-Persian Railway', February 1911 (folios 126-128); 'Report to the Board of Trade by Mr. H. W. Maclean, Special Commissioner of the Commercial Intelligence Committee to Persia, on certain matters connected with Persian Trade' (folios 101-104), and letter giving the views of the Board of Trade on the proposed railway, 25 March 1912 (folios 96-99); correspondence from the Persian Railways Syndicate, which stated it was surprised at the 'lukewarm attitude' towards the project of the Government of India (folio 80); discussion of proposals to negotiate a lease of Khor Musa [Khowr-e Mūsá] from the Shaikh of Mohammerah (folios 26-54); and interest in Khor Musa from the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (folios 38-39).

There is also significant correspondence in the file from the Foreign Office and the 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. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Percy Zachariah Cox).

The volume contains copies of earlier correspondence and agreements from 1903-1911.

The French language content of the volume consists of approximately ten folios of diplomatic correspondence.

Extent and format
1 volume (194 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of volume.

The subject 930 (Mohammerah-Khoremabad Railway) consists of one volume only.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 194; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-51; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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File 930/1912 'Mohammerah - Khoremabad Railway' [‎123v] (253/396), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/246, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100035407595.0x000036> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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