Coll 29/56 'Duzdap: question of retention of vice consulates' [‎52r] (105/247)

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llfctl© or ao liicelihood of the centre of activity In that part
of the country he lug shifted eloc where, <« g* to Mir jaws* Frew
■
the point of view of cosawsunientlone it occupies m import ant
poeition, being nt the inaction of the road* to Mc-ohed, Kemm $
nok Kundi and rchwaah and there la even * project to extend the
road to KfcMflU cm the sea at Charbar* This would have a
strategic value and 1* X consider acre probable that opening up
the Chisrb&r - Kerman route recently referred to by Colonel *>*!?•
With the gradual development of the south-east pax*t of the
couiitry wjuah traffic 1© therefore likely to pass through :&hi~
dan £&d. If the railway ia ever reopened, trade with India via
that route ie likely to increase* von without the railvoy it
se«.^« probeble that there will be more rather than less trade
with India parsing through ^iihidan in future, os that route is
which the Iranian Oovernmmt profess to be cmxious to develop*
X would venture to suggest too tJiat from a military point of
view it 1* desirable to have a Consulate in that area m& that
+ ■ «,
kshAdiA is the most obvious plnoe a* being the nearest town to
the headquarters of the newly constituted 9th {ilekrtm) division
at ''Ihwash*
5 * The chief argtiment under (b) above Is th« aiau? of thv
British eo^inity which asesrdiag to the latest figures to have
reached ne amounts to seven fur ope one and. some six hundred and
forty Indians* These figures compare with a total of six hundred
and eighty British Bubjeffts and arltisli Protected Persona at
Sfeshed, sixty British Subjects at SirJand and om hundred and
thirty five British Subjects and British Protected i arson at
^abul* There la rsloo a bremeh of the Imperial Bank of Iran at
2 ahlv an, whereas there is not at eltlier Birjand or labul*
6 . The cor^i unity at ehldan Is compo«ed cdUefly of traders
and lorry drivers* The fomar as four Kxoellenoy will be aware,
still carry on quite a conoid rable business as laportore and
/exporters*