'Report on the Preliminary Survey of The Route for The Central Persia Telegraph Line from Quetta to Bam and Pahra' [‎36v] (77/162)

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Supplies.
7. Between Nushki and the Persian Frontier there are no supplies procurable.
The whole country is a barren desert, and contains no cultivation or produce of
any sort. During favourable seasons of the year some nomads, with small
flocks of sheep and goats, may be seen along the trade route, but many of these,
who used to live wandering about the desert, have recently had to betake
themselves into Afghanistan, in consequence of the dearness of food, and the
difficulty in getting any, due to the Amir of Afghanistan having prohibited the
export of grain from Garmsale, and other fertile tracts along the Helmand.
The Amir probably views the Quetta-Nushki-Siestan route with considerable
disfavour, as its success will mean a decrease in the trade revenues of his
country. His action in preventing the import of grain into Western Baluchistan
from his territory will injure the former country, as no doubt it is so intended, and
will increase the cost of getting food in it. I have made provision in my esti
mates for the supply of grain to the construction working parties. There are at
present banias stationed at certain posts along the trade route whose duties are
to arrange food supplies for the local staff, and passing caravans. These men,
if their employment continues till the telegraph construction is being under,
taken, could no doubt arrange also to supply telegraph working parties
with their food requirements. It would perhaps be cheaper and more convenient
for the party working westwards from Quetta to purchase and take on most of
their food from Nushki. Food for the party working on the eastern section of
the line can best be obtained from Siestan, and for this special arrangements
will be necessary.
Telegraph offices for local business.
8. No telegraph offices will be required for local business along the route
under consideration. There is no probability of any revenue accruing to Gov
ernment from this source. In paragraph 10 of my former report, I gave some
particulars, derived from local information, regarding the trade passing over
the Nushki trade route for the year 1898. I regret some mistakes crept into
that report, as I had no opportunity of correcting the proof sheets during its
printing. The number of camels passing through Dalbandin should have been
2 400, not 24 000 In paragraph 24 of this report, I quote official returns of
the amount of trade passing over the Nushki route since it was started. The
figures in these, I must say, appear to me excessively big, judging from the
number and size of caravans I passed on my travels both in 1898-1800 and
in 1900-1901. ^
Maintenance. Position of observation offices.
r—siaymtcuiy snown as tollows •
%
Kob-i-Malik Seah.
Mushki Chah Dalbandi
Nushki.
Quetta.