Ext 5001/41 'PERSIA – INTERNAL (Miscellaneous despatches).' [‎11r] (21/248)

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69. Road. —The Persian Government is proposing to sell by public auction
about 3,600 used lorries, the property of the now defunct Road Transport
Administration.
70. The importation of passenger cars has been decontrolled, but the actual
number likely to be available for some time will be below importers’ expectations.
71. Tyre prices have'fallen heavily as the result of the sale of numbers
of second-hand tyres by the military authorities.
Civil Air Lines in Persia.
72. As recorded above, British Overseas Airways Corporation stopped at
the end of September. The Russian services, which seem to be civil or military
at will, were not brought to an end when the Russian troops left Qaleh Morgheh.
The French are apparently trying to keep their military service in being pending
the grant of commercial rights, and have said that the Persian Government asked
them to carry on since the British had let the Persians down by stopping. The
Americans have not yet replaced their military services by civil lines, though
they are evidently anxious to do so. Meanwhile they propose to run occasional
military aircraft as long as they have any troops left in Tehran.
73. The Iranian State Airline has run witn commendable regularity between
Tehran and Bagdad and Tehran and Bushire, though its operations are very
inefficient and it is far from making full use of its few aircraft. It would be
easy to expand frequencies, if not routes, had it only some managerial skill at
its disposal, and it is not to be wondered at that tlie Ministry of Posts who
control it should be lending an ear to proposals from private interests to take
it over.
74. The private interests are, however, squabbling among themselves. They
are in two groups which centre round the Mayor of Tehran, G. H. Ebtehaj, who
runs (among other things) Irantour, and General Ahmad Nakhchevan. who seems
to be relying on his past glories to put himself into a position where he can get
a substantial rake-off from somebody. Efforts to bring the two groups together
have so far failed. Iranian Airways, the company with which Ebtehaj is
associated, have made a provisional agreement with the American Trans
continental Western Air for a joint subsidiary to run DC3s on terms very
favourable to Transcontinental Western Air, but nobody really expects the deal
to be completed. Iranian Airways have also applied for four Dominie aircraft
on hire from His Majesty’s Government.
Disposal of British and American Military Assets.
75. Telecommunication System. —An agreement was concluded (it was
signed after the end of the quarter) providing for the sale to the Persian
Ministries of Communications and of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones, of the
entire poled wire routes in Persia, together with the entire carrier and associated
equipment. The American carrier equipment was not available for sale and
was withdrawn. The purchase price was £300,000, payable as follows :—
(i) 25 per cent, of the purchase price against signature of the present
agreement.
(ii) 25 per cent, within three months of signature.
(iii) 50 per cent, within two months after the beginning of the next Persian
financial year, i.e., as from the 22nd March, 1946.
76. Fixed Assets (General). —Fixed military installations in the North
Persia area were offered to the Persian Government but they declined to buy on
the ground that from their interpretation of article 4 of the Tripartite Treaty,
buildings should revert to them free. As a further approach merely produced a
reiteration of this claim, tenders were invited in the public press for the purchase
of these installations. In general they have been sold at satisfactory prices, but
the Convalescent Camp at Vanak did not produce any satisfactory offer owing to
the fact that it was built principally upon Crown land. The camp has accord
ingly been dismantled and the buildings are in the process of being demolished.
Difficulty is also being experienced as regards the saw-mill which is on land
belonging to the Persian State Railways. Negotiations are still continuing with
the Railway Administration for the purchase of this saw-mill by them, but if these
fall through, the installation will be dismantled and the machinery will be sold
to private buyers. Schedules are being prepared of installations south of Hama-
dan and the Persian Government will, in due course, be asked to state whether