Coll 28/95 ‘Persia. Relations with H.M.G. Private claims against H.M.G.: case of the S.S. “Kara Deniz”.’ [‎107r] (213/691)

47
Shiraz, pp. 15, 23, 25, 27, 38, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 60.
Sultanabad, pp. 49, 52.
Tabriz, pp. 50, 51, 52, 66.
Yezd (None).
Totals of amounts claimed in the various categories of claims (computed in sterling at
50 krans to the £), pp. 34, 42, 46, 48, 53, 56, 57, 59, 62, 64, 65, 68.
The Consulate Claims.
(War Period.)
Most of the important claims arising during the war period (the 4th August,
1914, to February 1921) come from the Legation, and are included in the
compilation dealing with the Legation claims; but a fair number, mainly
relating to highway robberies, are returned by our consulates, and these are set
out in the attached statement.
These consulate claims arising during the war period are in general subject
to the same observations as those arising out of the war period. These
observations might be briefly summarised as follows :—
(1) Much of the evidence originally furnished has been lost or cannot now
be traced.
(2) Not much reliance can be placed on the allocation of the claims to
categories (a), (b) or (c), according as the evidence is deemed by our
consuls to be respectively conclusive, incomplete or materially lacking.
Many claims placed in (a) are sadly lacking in evidence, and there
are manifest differences of view among the various consuls as to what
may constitute an (a), (b) or (c) claim. Nevertheless, this allocation
has been retained in the attached statement, as it represents what
the consuls, with their local knowledge, think of the claims.
(3) There is a noticeable absence of information about insurers’ claims,
although mention is made of several.
In the attached statement each set of claims has been arranged
chronologically as follows : —
Highway robbery (a) claims.
Highway robbery (b) claims.
Highway robbery (c) claims.
The miscellaneous claims follow under the heads of—
Burglaries.
Evacuations of Persian towns.
Murder.
Postal losses.
Resht disturbances, 1920-21.
Shiraz outrages.
Theft.
Tribal raid.
Urumia, depredations in, 1914-18.
As regards the highway robbery claims, the country was no doubt in a highly
unsettled state during the war period, and it is fairly clear that the Persian
Government, during part of this period at any rate, had no adequate control over
the disaffected districts. The miscellaneous claims relate to events which are
mostly easily identifiable, such as evacuations of Persian towns, local outrages
against British subjects, and the like, concerning which other and more definite
evidence exists in our records.
In dealing with the other sets of claims outside the war period, it was
premised that (apart from the question whether a particular claim justified a
claim on the Central Government) the following evidence would be desirable for
the establishment of a claim :—
(1) The claimant’s original representation, setting out the facts, the date
of the occurrence, details of the loss or damage done, as well as proof
of the claimant’s British nationality.