Coll 28/120 ‘Persia. Ahwaz – Consular diaries.’ [‎138r] (276/669)

difficult to "believe that it contains now something over 15%
"barley. The percentage of barley mu.et, however, gradually he
increased from now onwards as the proposal to exchange barley
with wheat from the north - compare para 15 of the diary for the
second fortnight of August - has apparently been turned down.
(30) The improvement expected after the end of Ramazan in
deliveries of wheat against sugar has been realised. Up to 15th
tober Mr. Solomon reports that 575 tons of v/heat have been
delivered against sugar. In the Ahwaz area, progress is only
maintained at the cost of continual pressure on the sheilths and
Arab kadkhodas, but elsewhere the prospects are improving; in the
Hindijan area, where little surplus grain was thought to be left,
almost a hundred tons have been delivered, and the result-* in
Ram Hormuz and ^hushtar are promising. Out of the thirty lorries
assigned to the area, however, fifteen are being taken away;
this i* unfortunate, since, in order to ensure the food supplies
of the towns until the next harvest, a further 2000 odd tons will
have to be collected during the next six weeks. At the end of
this period the government price falls by one third and all
wheat collected thereafter, except for the 8 am small quantities
that may be forthcoming as a result of optimism over (hypothe
tical) early rains, will require extreme pressure*
(Sl)-r A compromise has now been found which, it is hoped,
will enable the towns of Andimeshk and Khorramshahr to be
’’sealed” and so prevent the drain of wheat from Dizful and Ahwaz
respectively, without undertaking the impossible task of provi
ding the entire population of both towns with bread. In both towns
the majority of the adult population is employed by the allied
forces and has therefore not only considerable quantities of
money but receives both legally and illegally generous supplies
of ration flour. It is now proposed to open in each town
government shops selling barley bread at Rials 5 per kilo, thus
enabling the very poor to get cheap bread but discouraging.by
the somewhat unpalatable article offered,other sections of the
population starting a run on the cheap supplies with which the
government stocks could not cope.
(82) The threatened resignation of Dr. Millspaugh and his
American assistants in Tehran has had surprisingly rapid reper
cussions in Ahwaz. The Pishkar received towards the end of
September instructions from Dr. Millspaugh giving Mr. *olomon
complete authority over all matters connected with the collection
of grain and the provision of bread. Mr. Solomon reports, however,
that when he ordered. Aghai Ashouri, officer in charge of the
local finance Department, -to make over fifty tons o.f grain for
the Persian staff of the Iranian state Railway, Aghai Ashouri
replied that he had been instructed by the Pishkar not to make
any deliveries without the Pishkar 1 s instructions and in his
absence was unable to take any action.
(23) With reference to para 15 of the last Ahwaz diary, it
now appears that the admittedly excessive amounts of grain
promised to the Persian forces represent the price paid for the
Army’s agreement not to compete with the Kharobar in the grain
market.
V. Wheat Collections .
(34) In cnaltanabad undertakings have been received for 7200
ton,s. There are still many landlords who have not given undertakings
and|they have been warned that they mu*t come and give undertakings
before the 20th Mehr or the Kharobar will fix the amount of grain
which they have to deliver. Up to the end of .^hahrivar 18 ,7 4 tons
of wheat and barley had been purchased and the stock in the
sultanabad anbar and the collecting centres was 790 tonsc in the
/first