Coll 28/67 ‘Persia. Annual Reports, 1932–’ [‎306r] (611/644)

33
Nevertheless, no effort was made to requisition private cars, with which Tehran
is, by the war standards of the United Kingdom, incredibly well supplied.
168. Kail transport functioned smoothly; and generous quantities of civil
goods and cereals were carried to Tehran, northwards in spite of the demands of
££ Aid to Russia ” supplies, and southwards from the Soviet ££ zone. Oil stocks
^were adequate. For a short while, in December, the unexpectedly heayy civil
demand caused some anxiety, but it was found that the increase was genuine, being
due to the great increase in the use of oil instead of coal or wood for heating and
cooking.
Tt
The prospects for British trade.
169. With the end of the war in sight almost all the principal merchants
in the country turned their attention to the possibilities of trade with Great
Britain. There is no doubt that as long as Persia s supply of sterling lasts it will
be possible to export to Persia anything that l nited Kingdom exporters can offer
in the way of woollen and cotton piece-goods and yarns, dyes, chemicals, vehicles,
machinery for irrigation and agricultural use, power generation, &c., faetoiy
equipment of many kinds, building materials, domestic utensils, pottery, clothing,
footwear, bicycle lamps, ironmongery and haberdashery of all kinds, and a host
of capital and consumption goods. We shall in fact have to decide what kinds
of goods we can best spare, and endeavour to steer demand towards them and away
from the goods we do not wish to export. Engineering services and other kinds
of technical help would be one of the best ways of providing Persia with what mic
needs and at the same time of maintaining British influence in this country. A
useful step in that direction has been the signing of an agreement between the
Ministry of Agriculture and Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners for the survey of
an irrigation and hydro-electric project in the Ear valley, in the vicinity ol
Tehran. Another agreement reached by the same firm with the Tehran muni
cipality for the preparation of plans for a proper water supply and sewei age
system in the capital is being obstructed by the Minister of the Interior on a legal
technicality. . . .
170. The development of trade between Great Britain and Persia will
depend very largely on the exchange situation. Persia is outside the sterling aiea,
but the rial is not a ££ hard currency. It is doubtful whether there is an} ad\an~
tao’e to be gained from increasing trade between the sterling area and Persia be\ ond
the amount represented by the latter's sterling balances and the £5 million odd per
annum represented by Anglo-Iranian Oil Company royalties and the proceeds ot
Persian exports (carpets, gums, dried fruits, nuts, opium, oxides) to the sterling
area. If Persia had industrial raw materials other than oil to export the position
would be different. On the other hand, we have in the shape of the Anglo-Iraman
Oil Company’s concession a valuable stake in the country, and for that and foi
political reasons connected with the position of Persia in relation to India and
the Middle East it is necessary for Great Britain to ensure that her influence m
this country is at least as great as that of any other foreign country. It may,
therefore, be advantageous in the end to promote trade with Persia, especially of a
kind that brings British nationals to work in this country, even if the exchange
advantages are not all we could desire.
Locust Control.
' * 171. It had been expected that the control of the desert locust {i.e., migra
tory) in 1944 would call for considerable efforts, not only by the Persian Plant
Defence Department but also by the British military units and the Ro\al Air
Force Anti-Locust Flight, which were stationed on the coastal plain between
Jiwani and Lingeh ready to deal with swarms arriving from India and Arabia.
172. By March the consistently reassuring reports from both these countries
had led the British Locust Officer in Persia to decide on the withdrawal of the
Royal Air Force Anti-Locust Flight. The organisation in the Jiwani area was
also greatly reduced and the area was placed under the control of India entomo
logists, mainly for observation purposes. i n p
173 Unfortunately, several swarms, borne on high winds from West Arabia,
did after all, reach Persia during March and the British ground forces were
not sufficiently forewarned or mobile to attack these adults before they passed
inland beyond the coastal plain. However, only one of the swarms laid eggs on
Persian soil (in Laristan) and the resulting hoppers were effectively destroyed by
the Persian control organisation, while the parent swarm and other invading