Ext 5001/41 'PERSIA – INTERNAL (Miscellaneous despatches).' [‎87v] (174/248)

22 . Deliveries by the railway of civil goods, in particular oil, have greatly
improved. The following space on the railway has been allotted :—
Tons per day.
Cereals
Sugar and tea
Other goods
Oil
This total daily tonnage carried, which excludes supplies to Russia and other
non-civil traffic, probably exceeds the whole tonnage carried by the line before it
was taken over by the British Army. Nevertheless the Persian Government still
complains that not enough is being carried A request has now been made to
carry a large quantity of dates from the south, but this request is believed to
have been inspired by influential speculators rather than by responsible supply
officials.
130
34
620
Civil Supplies.
23. Shortage of shipping caused by military needs necessitated a drastic
reduction of import quotas earlier in the year. Even so, the real limit to the
amount of goods coming into the country remained the capacity of the ports and of
inland transport to receive and distribute them. Much hardship was caused by
the scarcity of imported commodities, and this helped to increase the cost of
living. Repeated representations were made on this subject by the Persian
Government and, at a recent conference to fix Middle East import quotas, the
British and American representatives from Tehran put up a strong case to the
Middle East Supply Centre, Cairo. As a result, Persian quotas of motor trans
port and other essential supplies were increased. It is now planned further
more to move about 8,000 tons of civil goods each month (including cereals) up
the railway. These movements will take place after consultation with the Price
Stabilisation Section of the Ministry of Finance and it should be possible to
ensure that those goods are carried which will (a) supply essential needs and
(b) help to stabilise prices.
24. A useful system of committees now operates. Under the Anglo-
American Combined Supplies Committee and its Executive Cotnmittee there
exist sub-committees dealing with agriculture, industry, chemicals and mining,
and medical supplies. All these work closely with the Road Transport Board.
Through them increasing contact has been made with the Persian Administration
and private industry; and. they serve as a link with the Middle East Supply
Centre, Olla and the other Allied organisations concerned with civil supplies.
The Middle East Supply Centre, Tehran, continue to play an important part in
arranging and controlling imports to Persia from countries under British or
American control, and in encouraging local development of agriculture, mining
' and industry. The Russians have been offering more goods than before in an
j effort to obtain rials and intend evidently to develop this trade regardless of
i Middle East Supply Centre—and of Persian Government control.
Tribal Situation — Fars.
25. The gradual elimination by Nasir Qasljgai of the authority of the
Persian Government from large parts of Fars is well known. All semblance of
this authority had disappeared from a large area, centred on Firuzabad, of which
he was in undisputed control. It was clear that he was consolidating his position
and acquiring more adherents among landowners and peasants, who, since the
Government were unable to protect them, had, under the threat of pillage, no
alternative to conciliating Nasir. Numerous approaches by the Government not
only failed to persuade Nasir, stiffened certainly by the Germans who were known
to be with him and by pro-German elements in Tehran, to accept terms consistent
Avith the recognition of the Central Government, but rather increased his prestige.
His successful, if polite, defiance encouraged other dissident tribal chiefs to show
a bold front, and this resulted in a rapid weakening of Government authority
over a widening area extending to the oilfields, and to'an increase in lawlessness
and insecurity which could hardly fail in time to affect our interests. In
Bakhtiari a young Khan, Abul Qasim, had set himself up in defiance of Govern
ment with pretensions to be ruler of Bakhtiari, and had collected a band of armed
followers which allowed him to exact money and grain from Bakhtiari villages.