'REPORT on the Working of the Line of Communication AND ON THE Withdrawal of the British Military Mission IN EAST PERSIA, 1919-20. GENERAL STAFF INDIA. [‎47r] (100/168)

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As a general ruie, apart from the Turbat instance above mentioned the
further north sales took place the better were the prices, and the further
south they took place the worse they were. Incidentally this fitted in with-
the backloading programme. These articles that, owing to distance from railhead
it would have been more difficult or expensive to backload, fetched relatively
high better prices, while those which being nearer railhead could be back-
loaded were thus saved from being sold at a very poor price. The amounts
realised by sales were Krans 172, 817, 815 in the Kran account, and Rs. 4,293
in the rupee account. Taking three Krans to the rupee and ten rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf.
to the Sovereign these sums totalled approximately £58,000.
(5) Disposal of unused packing material in Sistan .—At the time of the
withdrawal being ordered, a very large number of perfectly new bhoosa bags
and new grain bags were stored in Sistan. It had been intended that these
should be used in collecting all grain and bhoosa of the Sistan 1920 harvest
that was available for sale to the troops, and to export them to Shusp, and so
save the expensive uploading of cereals from railhead, the economic disadvan
tage of which has already been explained when the withdrawal was ordered,
the use for these bags in Sistan promptly ceased. Their disposal was some
what a difficult problem, though they would have been invaluable for the
purpose for w r hich they were intended, bad the troops remained in East Persia,
they were now a drug in the market of Sistan, and at the high rate of transport
between Sistan and railhead which prevailed Avhile the troops were still in
East Persia, their carriage back to railhead would have been very uneconomi
cal. Officers were eventually invited for them, and the best offer was one
lakh One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of Krans for the lot, w T hich worked out to little more than one anna per
bag. The Consul, Sistan, was meanwhile asked whether, if it was decided not
to sell the bags but to return them to India after withdrawal, he would be
able to assist in obtaining transport at favourable rates. It was hoped that
by that time, the railway being less blocked by military traffic, there would
be a considerable influx of trade goods to railhead and camel transport in
comparatively large quantities would be going down from Sistan to railhead
to pick up trade goods, and that these camels, which would otherwise be going
dowm empty, could be hired at reasonable rates to take these gunny bags with
them. The Consul expressed his willingness to assist in this matter, and
anticipated that the rate per maund from Sistan to railhead would fall to
four or five rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. per maund. This would be less than half the rate that
had hitherto usually prevailed. On these data a decision was asked for from
India whether to sell the bags for one lakh One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of Krans or to leave them in
charge of the Officer Commanding, Cavalry Detachment, Sistan, to be backloaded
to railhead after the withdrawal and as soon as transport at favourable rates
could he obtained with aid of the Consular authorities. The reply was in the
favour of the latter course. The bags have therefore been left in Sistan
for the present.
(6) Abandonment .—It was necessary to abandon some of the firewood
which had been collected at halting places for the various columns : though
laid in for their approximate requirements according to scale, was not all drawn
by them. The only other supply that could not be disposed of in one of the ways
above referred to and had to be abancioned was 198 maunds of so mew hat
doubtful onions that were left over at Safedawa.
[fj Supply arrangements at Duzdap.
Considerable preparations had to be made at Duzdap for the evacuation of
surpluses to India. A.s soon as it was decided to hand over the rahtmad supp y
dep6t to the Lines of Communication it became necessary to determine how muc i
of the stock in that dep6t was to he treated as surplus, so that this might he hande
over direct to the railwav for despatch to India without being takea on c arge
of the Lines of Communication. The quantities not thus earmarked for despatch
were then taken over by the Supply Officer of the 7th Section, who, under ie
new designation of the Base Supply Officer, oj^ened and organized a new ase
Supply Dep6t. As soon as the Officer Commanding of the io mer lai ea
Supply Dep6t had despatched all his surpluses, he also handed over his
“ tally section ” to the Base Supply Officer, who was then m a position to
hand over to the railway any consignments that arrived later iiom up e