Coll 28/112B Persia. Tabriz. Monthly dispatches of internal situation in Azerbaijan, & misc: reports.’ [‎124r] (248/451)

- a -
Tkese Councils will consist of from three to
size of the village and they will be eloqtad for one ye
C
fivfer
j. r* .
ririxi e^f
s aqcording to
flim . r by univer-
under a ^haim4 n their
e village•
and he
^al suffrage. They are to meet once a week
own electing and take decisions necessary to [thewelf^re of
The Village Council will elect the village headman (Kadhuda'
will be responsible %o the Council. The Kadkhuda will be paid by a
levy on the village 1 s crops. Other duties of the village Council
include the maintenance of the public services, the supervision of
agricultural matters, cleaning of canals, etc., and supervision of the
repayment of loans made to peasants by the Agricultural Bank and the
^llection of crops.
The best indication of the state of the finances of Azerbaijan is
that work on the streets of Tabriz has ceased. This was a project dear
to the Democrats* hearts and one that was winning them a large measure of
popularity, for all men have equally suffered from those rugged ways.
Happily the funds lasted long enough to complete the asphalting of
most of the main streets in the centre of the town.
117. Negotiations with Tehran, Up to the end of August there was not
the slimiest indication ’here of how the negotiations between the Azer
baijan Delegation and $avara as ^Itaneh were progressing** that is,
unless a growing uneasiness on the part of the Democrats can he taken
as an indication that they were not going well. Press articles have
complained that the Delegation was lodged outside Tehran and not allowed
to communicate with anyone except the official negotiators.
On August 15th., the date first proposed for the Delegation's
departure,© send-off meeting was organized by the Democrat Party,
pishavari, the principal speaker, declared that thou$i the Delegates
were the trusted representatives of Azerbaijan, they had no authority
to agree to anything that would be contrary to the clearly expressed
wishes of the Azerbaijan people* their* task was to present the demands
of Azerbaijan, not to negotiate a compromise. They were backed by
the whole might of the Azerbaijan people and if Tehran did not agree
to their demands, Azerbaijan was strong enough to take what it wanted
by force. pishavari demanded the early holding of the elections for
the Fifteenth Majlis, the revision of the Fundamental haw, the granting
of wide powers to provincial Councils to make them effective instrum
ents of local government, and the enactment as law of the Tehran/Tabriz
Agreement of June 14th, These points may have formed part of the
Democrat Party* s instructions to the Delegation.
On the last day of the month these demands were followed up by
a telegram *froin the people of Azerbaijan* to the Delegation demanding
the immediate holding of the Majlis elections.
118* Party Affairs. A notice signed by Pishavari, wes published
on AugusTTJn^TrTrmauncin^ that no Party member might leave Azerbaijan
without the permission of the Central Committee. Ihe real purpose
of this control is not apparent* it may he that there have been too
many defections.
There has been some hack-sliding in the local committees,
particularly those of Xhoi and Hezaieh. Jaafar Pishavari visited
both place* between August 8th and 10th., and treated the members to
some candid comments on their failings, ending with the dismissal en
bloc of the executive Committee in each town and the election of a new
one. The newspaper nzerbai.jan piously hoped that after this shaking
up the said committees would mend their ways.
•Hie Ladies* Branch of VOKS has opened a Creche or Kindergarten
for the children of Government officials and Democrat * arty members.
Ten tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. a month will be charged for each child and this will include
als.
tHie Central Committee of the Democrat ^arty has moved its
adiuarters to the centrally situated building occupied by the Russian
“ y 3tSf w P t he improvement of the minds ^V^Led^It U
„ and Politics (Huqoou wa Siyasa K.dr.s«i) has £.en
full -l»s fo-
l/‘
/ c el ebrat ion