Coll 28/120(2) ‘Persia. Ahwaz – Consular Diaries’ [‎14r] (27/224)

- 3 ~
Sheikh Khaz’al Salih, and Sheikh Ahdul Kerim Sharhan who
remained in Tehran, The comraisbion appointed to re-distribute
the tribal lands has not yet done much and cultivation is
taking place on the same lines as last year. An article
in the ’’Mihan 1 ' newspaper from the pen of Shibil Maulazadeh
(a nephew of Maula Nasrullah of Hawizeh) warns us of future
trouble from his enemies the Bani Turuf bheikhs, especially
<kf the three sheikhs mentioned above return,
( 9) • AGP, 10 UL TIJRAI. n . The Khuzistan Agricultural
Society is still running at a loss and with practically no
money,* Colonel Noel has reported this and has done his
best by correspondence to make the Persian Government come
to a decision as to the future of the Hamidieh farm. Two
or three ^commissions'’ have visited the farm without much
tangible result. On the 27th llarch however one of the
members of a ^liquidation committee" named Sar-Rishteh-Dar
received definite orders to take over the farm from Colonel
Noel: at which he was greatly embarrassed as he has little
knowledge of agriculture and no desire to stay in Khuzistan
during the summer at any price« Meanwhile Colonel Noel is
carrying on, making enquiries ab«ut new strains of barley,
about the prospects of cultivating an acacia which w r ill
yield a perfume, and many other technical matters,
(10) , Recent rains have been very copious and in
spite of a certain amount of flooding crops prospects are
very good and prices have begun to fall,
LURIbTANo
(11) ® Azemun, formerly director of the Finance Benart-
ment at Burujird, left on March 12th for All Gudarz to take
up the more responsible directorship there. Since the de
parture of Mr 0 Solomon the finance departments of Khorram-
abad and Burujird are controlled by the director at Ali-
Gudarz under the direct orders of Tehran, Hajib has taken
Azemun's place at Burujird.
(IS). The new Governor, Hormuz Ahmedi, is full of
schemes for improving the amenities of Burujird, but lacks
m«ney for that purpose. Neither he nor the Governor of
D«rud had received any pay for f«ur months,
COMMUNICATIONS.
(13). Torrential rains on the 14th March cut both the
main road and the railway between Ahwaz and Andimeshk. The
cut in the main road was at the "Sha’ur" crossing some 50
miles from Ahwaz: the floods ripped up several hundred yards
of the concrete road and unseated without quite carrying
away a reinforced concrete bridge, which is still being used
but must soon be re-built. The railway-track was similarly
washed away. Both road and rail were soon re-opened: the
first tram passed on the 22nd March after some good work by
the engineers. Lorries are also using the road, though the
surface is merely dirt which has to be continually renewed
to fill up the ruts.
BL3CTI0NS,
There is little to report %n this subject
except that the elections at Ahwaz have not yet reached a
formal end, ov/ing to the resignation of some of the members
of the\J51ectoral Council, and to another difficulty - which
is that’elected members of the provincial council have to
possess, according to the law, a "complete knowledge of the
g . . /Persian language".