Coll 29/22 'Compensatory allowance in lieu of customs exemption to officers serving in Persia and the Persian Gulf' [‎105r] (211/396)

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P.Z.514C/34
Minute Paper.
political Department.
Please see the minute on P.8332/29 below where
the Government of India’s proposal to grant customs
compensatory allowances to their Consular Officers
and establishments in Persia and the Gulf was considered.
The ground for the proposal was that the Persian tariff
introduced in September, 1928, imposed a heavy
additional burden on Consular Officers serving in Persia
for which the Government of India considered that they
should be compensated. The allowances proposed by the
Government of India (which are flagged X) were sanctioned
and were later improved as regards certain subordinate
officials.
Although the Foreign Office agreed in their letter
of 6 th May, 1930, to bear half the cost of the concession,
it is not until now that they propose a similar concession
for their own Consular Officers serving in Persia. The
reason for this long delay is not clear since it was
x
understood from para. 2 of the letter from the Consul-
General, Khorasan, dated 23rd February, 1929, that the
Foreign Office were then being asked to grant a similar
concession to their Officers. A possible explanation is
that Foreign Office Consular Officers are granted a cost-
of-living bonus which is based on local conditions and
which reflects in some measure the incidence of the customs
duties. Inasmuch es Government of India Consular
Officers do not enjoy this bonus, the ground for granting
this concession to Foreign Office Consular Officers seems
less strong than in the case of the former. But Sir R.
Hoare makes out a strong case for the proposal on its
merits.
The F.0.proposals are set out together with the
allowances paid by the Government of India in the table
attached/