Coll 28/67 ‘Persia. Annual Reports, 1932–’ [‎19r] (37/644)

35
ships’ ribbons, and the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. was able to secure from the Governor
of the Gulf Ports an order for its postponement while the question was referred to
His Majesty’s Legation. It seemed that what the quarantine medical officer had
in mind was the enforcement of some regulations issued in 1929, one article of
which provided for crews of warships to carry identity cards when landing.
Sir Robert Clive had pointed out the objections to this article, which was at
^ariance with recognised procedure throughout the world, and orders had been
jiven for the order not to be enforced. It also transpired that the immediate
cause of the quarantine medical officer’s action was the recent arrival of one of the
sloops with a civilian passenger (the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. ) on board without having
given forty-eight hours’ notice. This was another provision in the same regula
tions, but had never been enforced in the case of the Resident. Representations
were made on both points by His Majesty’s Minister and no further cases of
difficulty were reported.
195. In June also the Deputy-Governor complained to the senior naval
officer that a liberty man from H.M.S. Triad had attempted to break into the
custom-house and had threatened a policeman who tried to prevent him. At the
senior naval officer’s invitation, a policeman was sent on board to identify the man,
but failed to do so, so that the senior naval officer could take no action. The
Ministry for Foreign Affairs repeated the complaint later to His Majesty s
Legation, and this time it was stated that the object of the man in entering the
custom-house was to assault the wife of the head of the customs, and that the
senior naval officer had failed to take disciplinary measures, although the police
man who went on board had identified the offender. Jhe account given was full
of conflicting statements, and it was not difficult to show in reply that the lethargy
of the Hen jam officials was solely responsible for the failure to identify the
offender.
196. In the autumn arrangements were made to replace the eleven Royal
Indian Marine ratings, who looked after the coal depot, motor launches, &c., by
employees with civilian status.
Lighting and Buoying in the Gidf.
197. On the occasion of Sir Francis Humphrys’s visit to Tehran in April
the Minister of Court, when accepting the general principle of a tripartite
conservancy board for the Shatt-el-Arab, accepted also a proposal that the board
should control the lighting and buoying of the Gulf outside the waters of the
Shatt-el-Arab. The conservancy board itself is dealt with under ‘ ‘ Shatt-el-Arab
frontier.”
198. The suggestion that there should be two boards under one president,
or two sub-committees of the board for Persian and Arab waters respectively,
had meanwhile been dropped; and the extension of the board s powers to points
outside the Shatt was provided for in the draft convention, later communicated
to Teymourtache, by a declaration that the board might, at the request of the
authority or authorities from time to time responsible for the lighting and buoying
of waters outside the board’s control, take over and maintain the lights and buoys
in the waters concerned.
199. A certain amount of interdepartmental correspondence took place
during the year as to the degree of importance attaching to the aids to navigation
situated in Persian territory. It appeared that of the four lights essential for
the navigation of the main route up the Gulf, Little Quoin, Tamb Island, Qais
Island and the Shatt-el-Arab bar, only one, Qais Island, was in Persian waters,
and as it consisted of a light ship, even it could presumably be placed outside
territorial limits without difficulty. Jask light was also of use to general
navigation, but not essential. The Anglo-Persian Oil Company, whose tankers
formed the bulk of the traffic using the Gulf, were anxious for additional lights
at Farur shoal and Ras-ul-Mutaf; it seemed likely that these could be placed
outside Persian territorial waters, at any rate at Ras-ul-Mutaf, but expert opinion
differed as to the real necessity of such lights. The Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. drew
attention to the fact that the amount of British shipping visiting Persian ports,
though small in comparison to the amount going straight to the Shatt-el-Arab,
was of considerable importance in itself and would be much handicapped it the
lights and buoys at the intermediary Persian ports were not properly maintained.
[8706] D 2