File 1880/1904 Pt 1 'Perso-Afghan Frontier: - Seistan Arbitration.' [‎60r] (124/520)

„ f c .
Telegram, No. 824, dated Seistan,
6
80th the October (despatched from Robat on 1st November)
1904.
From— Colonel A. H. McMahon, C.S.I., C.I.E., British Commissioner, Seistan
Arbitration Commission,
To—The Foreign Secretary, Simla.
Afghan Commissioner has informed me that he has just received necessary
authority from Amir tor demarcation.
Addressed to Government of India; repeated to Sir A. Hardinge.
Telegram, No. 4257 F., dated the 5th November 1904.
From—His Excellency the Viceroy, Simla,
To—His Majesty's Secretary of State for India, London.
Seistan Arbitration. Please refer to Colonel McMahon’s letter of 25th
September 1904, which was forwarded with Secretary’s letter of 13th October.
We do not consider it desirable to do anything that may give birth to any
idea that the Persians have any claim to extend irrigation by channels to be
constructed through Afghan territory. Moreover the Persian Government
insisted that the decision in the present case should he in accordence with
General Goldsmid’s award, and we prefer to confine the award to this. Award
B therefore, seems the most suitable with the following modifications Omit
naraoranh 4, of the preliminary remarks, and prefix to paragraph 5 the following
sentence —Begins. Unfortunately of recent years, whatever may have been the
cause, and whether that was due to the change in the course of the main stream
or to more strained relations, the amicable settlement of water difficulties has
been found to be no longer possible. /nds. In paragraph 8 More words
“ further laid down ”, enter “ after consulting General Goldsmid . ihe rest of
clause should run as in Award A.
In paragraph 10 C, instead of Bandar-i-Kamal Khan, read Band-i-Kohak.
Omit the last section of clause 2 of award from Seistan on, and clauses 3
Slid
This is proposed, as it is useless to attempt to prevent the diversion by the
Afghans of all the water between Band^-i-Kamal Khan and Band-i-kohak, as
thev might do this further up-stream at Kala-i-Bist or elsewhere, and it is
vmdesirable to give the Persians any voice in matters outside their own boun -
*xvxr The difficulty will be to ensure that Persian Seistan receives 3 of
1 J+hat at present reaches Band-i-Kohak, and the only way of securing this
wilTbe to appoint an expert irrigation officer, as suggested by Colonel McMa on.
We trust that his proposals in this respect will be approved.
But it is a great question if Goldsmid’s award renders it necessary to give
Persia more thafenough water for existing irrigation, 141,000 acres, for which
Persia mo Helmand would he sufficient. As however, owing to change
less than one th h p ersian Seistan ,
in mam chanIiels founts to 460,800
and as area existing system of cultivation whereby half area lies fallow
S’yeirT230,400 acres could he irrigated and cultivated, we think that J of the