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(d) Proposal to appoint Iranian Vice-Consul at Quetta.
100. The Iranian Minister in London informed the loreign Office in
September that his Government desired to establish a vice-consulate at Quetta.
With the exception of a period after the earthquake the Iranian Government had
maintained an official there for some years, but he had only been recognised as a
member of the staff of the consulate-general in Delhi with authority to issue pass
ports and visas, and the proposal that he should now be given consular status
therefore raised wider issues. The matter was accordingly referred to the
Government of India and His Majesty’s Minister was also instructed to furnish
his views. No decision had been reached by the end of the year.
(e) Article in Calcutta Newspaper.
101. The Iranian consul-general in Delhi complained in June to the Foreign
and Political Department of the Government of India about an article on the
Shah which had appeared in a Calcutta newspaper, the Rozana Hind. _ This
complaint was later repeated orally to His Majesty s Legation by an official of
the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, who stated that the article contained some
observations which he could not even bring himself to repeat. The Iranian
consul-general in Delhi had been instructed to pursue the matter within the limits
of the Indian press law, but the Minister for Foreign Affairs requested that
particular attention should be paid to it.
102. The offending editor stated that the article in question had been
copied from another Indian paper, the Millat, from the Berliner Tageolatt.
It appeared on investigation, however, that his first statement was untrue, and
the Iranian authorities, after enquiry in Berlin, later stated that equally no such
article had appeared in the Berliner Tageblatt. I he Iranian consul-genera
accordingly requested in October that the editor of the Rozana Hind should be
prosecuted, and that all copies of the offending issue of the paper should be
confiscated.
103. It is not known whether any further developments took place before the
end of the year.
(5) The Anglo-1 ranian Oil Company {Limited).
104. No serious differences arose between the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company
and the Iranian Government during the year. Mr. Fraser deputy chairman of
the companv, visited Tehran in the spring, and had an audience with the bhah
and a number of conversations with Iranian officials. He professed himself as
well satisfied with his visit, though he had to cut short his stay on account ot
illness.
105. Two criminal charges, both of manslaughter, were brought against
European members of the company’s staff during the year. 1 he one was a
straightforward case arising out of a motor accident, in which negligence was
admitted, but the other had certain features worthy of note. The British subject
accused, a Mr. Mabbutt, was called out of his house at Abadan by a report that
an accident had taken place. He accordingly summoned an ambulance and picked
up the man, who later died. Subsequently, one of the company s own firemen
testified that Mr. Mabbutt had himself run down the dead man and on the
strength of this statement Mr. Mabbutt was kept m police custody for the ays.
He was not allowed to communicate with his wife, His Majesty s vice-consul or
any official of the company until the afternoon of the fifth day when His Majesty s
consul at Ahwaz, by appealing to the safeguards, succeeded m persuading the
Governor-General of Khuzistan to send instructions that Captain Ghauncey was
to be allowed to visit him. Mr. Mabbutt was then released, but was tried
six months later and was convicted, being sentenced to a term of imprisonment,
which he was able to commute by paying a fine of approximately £8 He then
desired to appeal, but was persuaded by the company to let the matter drop.
106 On the 20th December three British subjects employed by the company
were waylaid and robbed by bandits in the Kashkuli tribal area between Ahwaz
and Bushire. One of them, a Mr. MacLelland, was seriously wounded. I he
authorities seem to have pursued the matter with energy, but only scanty details
of the incident were available by the end of the year.