Coll 28/112A ‘Persia. Tabriz – Monthly despatches of internal situation in Azerbaijan & misc. reports.’ [‎434r] (870/1237)

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SECRET.
SECRET
MEMORANDUM.
I left Tabriz on May 18th for Rezaieh travelling by train
and lake steamer. The time-table has been altered since my last
report and the train now leaves Tabriz at 7.30 a.m. and arrives
at Sharif Khaneh at 11 a.m. On the return journey the train
leaves Sharif Khaneh at 2.30 p.m. arriving at Tabriz at 6 p.m.
The days remain the same, namely Tuesdays and Fridays for the
outward journey and Sundays and Thursdays for the return journey.
2. The journey was uneventful although I was interested to
notice a fair sprinkling of Kurds, well-dressed and opulent-
looking, in contrast v/ith the rest of the passengers. One was
even proudly carrying a pair of binoculars, complete with leather
case, slung round his shoulder. During the journey I met one of
the directors of the Iran match factory An East India Company trading post. in Tabriz who is also
interested in the electric light company in Rezaieh. He was
going to Rezaieh to examine the company's position as they had
apparently only sufficient gas-oil to continue running for one
month more, despite the fact that there is no electricity during
the day-time. It seems that, as usual, transport is the
difficulty.
3. At Sharif Khaneh I spent the day with Mr. Sattarzadeh
the port director, and visited the workshops which this time were
working (on my last trip I went and returned on a Friday). I
also visited the newly-reconditioned barge in 'dry-dock 1 i.e.
lying on the dried mud shore. It is expected that it will be
afloat within a few weeks. It has been almost entirely re-rivetted
with rivets forged on the spot. I saw both the making of the rivets
and the rivetting in progress. The next job which Mr. Sattarzadeh
is undertaking is an old boat which has been lying on the mud for
the past 15 years. It will require many new plates and will have
to be completely re-rivetted; then, if a new engine is available,
the Navigation Department will have another usable tug. I told
Mr. Sattarzadeh that the supply of a marine engine would present
grave difficulties but that if the Iranian Government could put
up really cogent reasons to justify it no doubt the application
would be seriously considered, subject to the limitations imposed
by war requirements elsewhere. The best reason is that the
Russians are using the lake more and more for the transport of
troops and supplies, and that the greater the use made of this
means the greater the saving of valuable rubber tyres.
4. At Sharif Khaneh I was introduced to one of the two
local government doctors. He has a tiny hospital attached to the
port. The mosquito season had already started but Mr. Sattarzadeh
complained that he was not receiving supplies of Flit in the
necessary quantities. Unless this could be remedied he foresaw
a great loss of working hours in the port this summer through
sickness.
5. At Gulma Khaneh, where we arrived at 3 a.m. I was met by
the car of the Rezaieh Chief of Police, and so arrived in Rezaieh
before 4 o'clock.
6. On May 20th I called on the Farmandar and spent an hour
with him discussing various questions, after which I called on the
Soviet Consul, who was however away in the mountains, so left a
/card