File 2976/1916 Pt 2 'Persia Bunder-Abbas-Kerman telegraph & road Bushire-Shiraz road' [‎141v] (280/294)

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besides opening up a fast-working alternative route to Eniope, m time attract,*
from India to those regions and vice versa, a valuable telegraph traffic.
Moreover, our cables are so far, in spite of improvements in apparatus, too
slow for the present-day requirements of through working, and all messages
sent by them for Europe have to be manually repeated at -Feheian. _ This
necessitates keeping up a larger staff at Teheran than would be required if
these messages could all be automatically repeated there. ^ It will be seen fioni
the map that aline from Task to Shiraz will not only piovide an impioved loute
for the anticipated traffic with Europe through Iurkey, but also an improved loute
between London and Karachi via leheran and Shiraz, and its development
will, I anticipate, enable me to reduce the staff at Teheran, now some twenty-six
strong, by half. The staff at Shiraz would have to be stiengthened slightly,
but this could probably be effected by reducing the staff at Bushire by an equal
num ber.
It should also be recalled that between the inception, early in 1898, and the
completion of the Central Persia line a period of nine years elapsed of which the
preliminary discussion and the negotiations occupied three ; more than a year
was occupied in procuring the material, the construction of the Persian section
occupied a year and a half, the discussion on the route for the extension
eastward and its construction occupied the remainder of the period. The
expenditure was thus spread over a number of years, and the proposed project
might be undertaken in a similarly leisurely manner.
If however, the project as a whole is considered to be too ambitious at this
juncture, and that only the Kerman-Bander Abbas-Jask section^ shall be
negotiated at present, the terms which might first be offered to Persia could, I
submit, be as follows :—
Article I.
The Persian Government having need of effective telegraph communication
between Kerman and Bandar Abbas, and the British Government being
desirous of strengthening the international system of telegraphs by means of
a telegraph line from Kerman to Jask, mutually agree to construct a system
of telegraph lines linking up those towns.
Article II.
In order that the system may be constructed in a complete and effective
manner, the Persian Government agrees that it shall be built under the
direction and supervision of the British Telegraph Staff now controlling the
international lines in Persia, the British Government advancing to the Persian
Government the salaries and allowances of the men actually employed on the
work.
Article III.
The British Government agrees to procure gratis for the Persian Govern
ment all the posts, wire, insulators, &c., that may be requisite for the work on
condition that the British Telegraph Administration shall have the use of the
Persian wire between Teheran and Kerman whenever it is not being used by
the Persian Telegraph Administration, and that they may erect on the telegraph
poles between Teheran and Jask and Bandar Abbas such extra wires as they
may need in the future for international purposes.
Article IV.
The maintenance of the line, including repairs and the appointment, control,
and payment of the line guards, who must be Persian subjects, shall remain in
the hands of the British Director and staff, the cost being defrayed by the
Persian Government. The duties of the Telegraph Inspectors and line guards
are strictly confined to repairing and maintaining the line.
Article V.
The protection of the line and of the officials, whether Persian or British
employed on it, shall be the special duty of the Persian Government, and