File 930/1912 'Mohammerah - Khoremabad Railway' [‎132r] (270/396)

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6. Firstly I would observe that we seem warranted in considering that the strong
disapproval with which the announcement of our application for an option or concession
to constiuct this line was received in Russian and German quarters is in itself primti
facie evidence of the value of the project to us, both as a means,of safeguarding the
commercial interests which we already possess in the region of which Hamadan is the
centre, and as a, lever tor obtaining satisfactory terms in regard to the Gulf section of
the Bagdad Railway.
7. The Apprehensions of the Sheikh of Mohammerah. —I am inclined to doubt if
the grounds tor them are so serious as the sheikh and Lieutenant Wilson anticipate.
I presum3 m this connection that we should take all possible steps to safeguard the
sheikh s interests, and m any case, the connection of Tehran by rail with Kermanshah
and of Mohammerah with Dizful, would inevitably make Mohammerah more accessible
from lehran than now, and I doubt whether the more ability of a Persian reoiment to
cross Luristan would greatly alter the position, as far as the sheikh is concerned.
From a financial point of view the latter could not fail to benefit greatly from the
construction of the line. As it is, the customs revenue has greatly increased since he
resigned it to the central Government ten years ago, in return for an annuity which
then represented a much larger percentage of the receipts than it does now, and
should a fuitlier development of Mohammerah as a port of entry take place he would
ceitainly be entitled to our support in pressing for a substantial increase of his present
compensatory allowance.
8. The Value of the Khor Musa ^ Outlet for the Railway.—Lieutenant Wilson’s
somewhat pessimistic views of the possibilities of Khor Musa as a commercial terminus
do not take into account its strategical advantages, and generally differ a good deal
from the conclusions arrived at by His Majesty’s naval authorities when the locality
was examined in 1904 (vide the papers marginally cited, to which I beg reference).*
9. Ihe Question of Internationalisation. —This is an aspect of the railway project
which I should regard with great apprehension did I not presume that it was intended’
and would be possibly, either to circumvent the difficulty altogether or to effect an
arrangement for keeping the control sufficiently in our hands in the way suggested by
i iic
In this connection Captain Haworth suggests^ to me, and I beg that the point
may be considered, that the mere existence and the nature of our engagements to the
bheikh of Mohammerah—of which the Persian Government, and I, believe, the Russian
Government are generally aware—make it possible for us to claim independently of
ar^ Anglo-Russian convention, that Mohammerah territory is a sphere of British
influence, in the development of which we are entitled to have a predominant voice and
which we are under no obligation either to regard as neutral ground except vis-a-vis
Russia, or to admit the intrusion therein of any foreign element except under conditions
conducive to our own interest and those of the sheikh. Whether or not this view can
be strictly maintained in theory, it is a fact that we have more than once in recent
years made _ effective use of it in practice, and our special position has, I submit,
received tacit recognition. I may instance our negotiations with the Netherlands
Government in regard to the Dutch option for an irrigation concession on the Karun
aia om fiank communication to the Xurkish authorities in connection with the Zain
incident. §
„ 10 - Tmmmg to the present aspect of the railway question as indicated by the
re usa oi the Government of the day in Tehran to accede to our application for an
option, I venture, in conclusion, to offer the following suggestion :—
That we should forthwith secure a lease from the Sheikh of Mohammerah of the
shores and _ islets of the Khor Musa. These are a recognised part of the Fallahieh
istrict which was granted to him by Royal farman in January 1903. The sheikh
wou d be m precisely the same position in respect of a lease of it as he was in the case
o he oil company’s site on Abadan, of which his ownership is covered by a farman in
exactly similar terms. If any action in this direction were decided upon, it would be
important to put through the necessary preliminaries, such as an unobtrusive examina
tion of sites, with as little delay as possible. ||
The possibility in the last resort of preventing a concession going to other parties
+ ^ l0 r et ° Govcroinciit of India in the Foreign Department, Secret letter, March 24, 1904.
I Hy, borei gn Office despatch to His Majesty's Ambassador, St. Petersburgh, No. 129, May 10 1910
l ^ 7 G t° r P BarClay t0 Forei ^ n 0ffi ce despatch No. 55, April 18, 1911. ’
n ff., bub-Enclosure 3 to Embassy despatch No. 402, June 21, 1910, to His Majesty’s Foreign Office
same'ktohGovemmeft ofTlit N °' 3 °’ JUly 16 ’ m °’ t0 HiS MaieSt/S Minister ’ Tt:brail > and ' Btt “ of