Coll 28/67 ‘Persia. Annual Reports, 1932–’ [‎224r] (447/644)

57
The Sheikh of Mohammerah.
260. It is impracticable for members of the late sheikh’s family to be in
touch with any British authority in Iran, and no information is available ot
any settlement of the family affairs in this country. Most of the twenty-eigh
heirs, among whom there is continual dissension, have gathered m Basra, and
appear for the time being to have centred their interests in Iraq, it may be
noted that a commission for distribution to peasants of Crown lands in Khuzistan
was formed during April, and that some of the lands inspected by the commission
were properties of the late sheikh. It is likely that the Iranian Government
consider them to be Crown lands, though no definite information is available
on this point, for up to the end of the year no distribution that would give such
an indication had been reported.
Civil Aviation.
261 At the end of November a beginning was at last made with the
Iranian air mail service, the machines for which had arrived in June 1936. On
the 30th November a weekly service to Kermanshah was inaugurated, the
aeroplane leaving Tehran each Tuesday and returning the same afternoon. 1 he
machines used lere De Havilland “ Rapides ” and the
the Iranian air force. No passengers were carried. It was stated that the service
would shortly be extended to Bagdad, but this had not been done by the end ot
the year.
IV.— Military Affairs.
The Army.
General.
262. During 1937 the strength of the Iranian army has increased by nearly
9 000 men. The budget shows an increase of £500,000. About £2 million worth
of war material has been purchased. The Government troops if they have
achieved no permanent settlement of the disturbed areas of Baluchistan or
Kurdistan, have, at any rate, suffered no humiliating defeats. Conscription is
working smoothly, and is being extended gradually into the more remote tribal
areas. The recall of conscripts to the colours for reservist training has begun.
The army has received its pay and its rations and is content, as well it might be,
with its unique position under the present regime. Among some rather lean kme
the soldiers alone appear to be fat.
Expenditure.
263. In the estimates for the Iranian year 1316 (21st March, 1937, to the
20th March, 1938), the credit provided for the Ministry of War is 283,729,980
rials or about £3,546,625 at present rates. This sum includes provision for the
navy and air force, for which no separate heads are shown. It represents an
increase of 40 million rials (£500,000), over last year s figures. 400,000 rials
(£5 000) has been provided for expenses in connection with conscription, and
25 678 400 rials (£320,980) for the gendarmerie. This gives a total budgeted
military expenditure of 309,808,380 rials (£3,872,604) or, approximately 25 per
cent, of the total budgeted expenditure of the country An additional sum ot
£79 829 was voted out of reserves for the Iranian navy for the construction ot a
slipway at Bandar Pahlavi. As far as is known, no other sums have been voted for
military expenditure, and the extra grant of £2 million which was voted from
the Government’s holdings abroad in 1933, 1934, 1935 and 1936, and which had
come to be regarded almost as an annual feature, is conspicuously absent from this
year’s budget.
Strength.
264 The strength of the Iranian army, as estimated on the 1st June, 1937
was 105A51 all ranks. This figure shows an increase of 8,989 over the estimated
strength of 1936. As long ago as 1933 it was stated (annual report, para
graph 614) that the Shah aimed at an army 100,000 strong. This object he
appears to have achieved.