Coll 28/67 ‘Persia. Annual Reports, 1932–’ [‎205r] (409/644)

19
Iranian Jurisdiction over the Outer Anchorage at Bushire.
69. At the end of 1936 a German member of the crew of the Hansa Line
vessel Geierfels was prosecuted by two coolies A term used to describe labourers from a number of Asian countries, now considered derogatory. for an assault said to have been
^ committed on the ship while she was lying at the outer anchorage at Bushire.
The outer anchorage lies some 7 miles from the shore, and therefore outside the
limit of territorial waters as recognised by His Majesty’s Government in the
United Kingdom. The German Legation decided that the sailor, who had left
Bushire with his ship for Bandar Shahpur, must be surrendered to the
Iranian authorities, and he was brought back to Bushire for trial. A
precedent was thus created for the exercise by the Iranian authorities of
criminal jurisdiction over ships at the outer anchorage, and the Political
Resident in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. requested instructions regarding the action
which he should take if a similar case arose involving a British subject
or British-protected person. The point was referred to the Foreign Office,
who replied that for practical reasons it seemed desirable to recognise
Iranian jurisdiction over the outer anchorage at Bushire. The attitude
of His Majesty’s Government with regard to the limit of territorial waters
could be safeguarded by informing the Iranian Government officially that
His Majesty’s Government had decided unilaterally to recognise this jurisdiction
in view of the special circumstances obtaining at Bushire, but no such communi
cation need be made until a concrete case had arisen. His Majesty’s Minister
informed 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. that, subject to the latter’s views (not received
before the year closed), he agreed that this was the best course to adopt.
Conditions at the Gulf Ports.
70. Great inconvenience was caused to British shipping companies by the
chaotic conditions prevailing during the year at the ports of Khorramshahr,
Bandar Shahpur and Bushire. The inefficiency of the Customs and the lack of
landing arrangements equal to coping with the huge cases of machinery and the
girders and other material required for the railway and for the industrialisa
tion of the country had long caused serious congestion in the Customs at the three
ports. This congestion was greatly intensified in the early part of 1937, partly
because goods could not be withdrawn from the Customs for lack of foreign
exchange permits, but mainly owing to the inexperienced management of the
new monopoly companies, which ordered their requirements for an entire year
to arrive all at once instead of spread over the year. The confusion was
particularly bad at Khorramshahr, where incoming cargo was piled in every
available space all over the town. One especially serious consequence of the
congestion was an intensification of the rise in transport costs throughout the
country because urgently-needed lorries, tyres and accessories could not be cleared
from the Customs. For lack of storage space, cargo could not be unloaded from
lighters, and one consignment of motor cars remained so long on a barge that
it eventually sank. Lack of barges caused serious delays to steamers, and much
cargo was overcarried to Basra. His Majesty s Legation were instructed by the
Foreign Office to consider whether representations regarding the conditions at
the various ports could usefully be made to the Iranian Government. But, since
the Iranian Government were the chief sufferers from the congestion and were
greatly embarrassed by it and doing what they could to remedy it, it was decided
that nothing would be gained by such representations. As so often, the Anglo-
Iranian Oil Company came to the assistance of the local authorities in Khuzistan,
lending a crane and storage space in their compound at Khorramshahr, and
unloading and assembling a considerable number of motor lorries at Abadan.
71. The lack of barges at Khorramshahr available for working steamers
made it necessary for the British steamship agents, who had for many years held
the greater part of the business of landing cargo at that port, to hire barges fiom
Basra at considerable cost. Landing charges thus rose steeply. The situation
thus created, by enabling him to represent that the foreign agents’ charges were
excessive, gave Colonel Bayendor an opportunity to carry through a scheme, which
he had been hatching for some time, for the formation of an Iranian company
with the monopoly of landing cargo at Khorramshahr. The company, the
Sherkat-i-Kashtirani Karun, was formed in February, being mainly controlled
by a rich Khorramshahr merchant named Novaghar. On the 30th March Colonel
Bayendor issued an order stating that the company had the sole right of
[16966] D * 2