Coll 28/112B Persia. Tabriz. Monthly dispatches of internal situation in Azerbaijan, & misc: reports.’ [‎218r] (436/451)

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up iQLaeiilatol/ f
’?'• /illcfeing that in Xabriz, ;*or a pipul&tion of
^^ 0 , 000 , ~aor« than ^ 00,000 |ati n ar^ in existence# the
iiuti -,nal aoverojiient has eut ^c ^ J e d -Inc^ liiuui oi all rati in. of
t,u t ,ar# tea and cotton cloth until a ne * series of ration curds can
bu ai. triouted* (o 00#000 seems to be a modest estiai/ite of the
iuimb r of cards actually in existence, for the official, oi tne
old Supply bepartaent have dons a roarin^ trace in them for years)#
Unaer the old regime, foreign Consuls in Tabriz were accorded the
aame piivilege gl Government oilices^ of 3 urcha 6 in £:; a quantity
oi sUfear tina tea each month at rationei prices for their official
fUtwrtaiaitig# The routine applications for these rations in
January *iere refused#
8 * L mother tron^ of the i>emocrat victory is the
discharge oi numo^rs of rcauiiduat eoriters from the tioverximent
depfertments# ^uria^ the month sixty hav«' been discharged fran the
dallway «*pertaent ana about twenty irom other brunches of
^oVumment sex*vlce# including the police# There were t:>o many
civil servants here# it is true# but tne pr-saent disenargea are
probhhly designed both to get rid of political undesirables and to
maice JOwS for party members# It is reported# for instance# that
febout aO youths oi 18 or so# sons ox Tarty members# have been
entered as apprentices in the Tosts and Telegraphs Administration
ana h^ve been promised thv dob, of insufficiently democratic
employees who will be discharged when these youths re trained#
9* vou^unicat! oun # It was aunounoed on January 14th. that the
Jornml^sion appointed to study the question of asphalting the
streets of Tabriz had made ita import# and tnat work would be
begun immediately# The project is to jost 12 million rials waioh
will as provided out ox municipal revenue# It Is claimed that when
the "present commercial and financial difficulties are settled"
the city revenues will be sufficient both for this project and
ioi’ the organization oi a water supply without borrowing# There
re no dyne yet that the job has started#
The ministry hue, however# ha j one success in organizing a
bus service in Tuuriz# home o; the vehicles have seen service
before# ion^ ago, but others have been newly built h-re. Fares
are cheaps about oat rial a mile# ana the services frejuent and
custom plenty# attain very noient motor-cars have crept out
into ties light oi day, also# to form a taxi service# It la aaid#
too# that oraera for electric tram squipmeat have been placed in
huaslai but It 1 l hard to imagine the Tabriz electricity supply
bearing znv strain oi a t;.j&way*
Tn minister# i*abi , i h^biri# announces tne Inauguration of a
t..enty-fdur nour tclcphooe service in Tabriz* Servicee to otner
towns# e#g# 2 *snjun and nar^igeh# «ill operate fro.* 8 ^.m# to 3
p#m. but correction may bw made alter this nour on payment of
a double lee# It la not announced what arr angements h^ve been
made i w king up ta« "aarkaz" in tbs middle of the aignt.
^he x b;.,lj n newspaper urges the erection oi a v. ireleos
torottauastini; st ti n at Tabriz to counter th* reactionary news
put out uy Tehran# A© nearly every telegraph post in tue main
street already bw&ru a loua speaker which pourev out Moscow and
buxu transmissiotks ail day long# the expense oi a local
tr&n&mxtier would seem scare.iy justifiable#
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