'Report on the Preliminary Survey of The Route for The Central Persia Telegraph Line from Quetta to Bam and Pahra' [‎54v] (113/162)

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fact remains that, except for an acre or two at Makak there is at present
absolutely no cultivation within sight of any of the stages along the route west
of NushkI plain. I might continue quotations from this official report, but, for
brevity’s sake, those that l have made are sufficient. Ex uno disce omnes. t
can be seen how extravagant Captain Webb W are s optimistic view of the
trade route is, and that most of his opinions with regard to it are vitiated there
by This subject lam writing about is one of some importance for if it is
contemplated sinking money in the country between Nushki and Robat it is
obviously worth while knowing exactly what the nature of that country is. I have
now written briefly my description of it, and if, m face of conflicting evidence,
this needs coroboration, I would suggest that either of the two survey Oihcers,
Messrs. Tate and Vredenberg, the former of the l ngonometncal, and the latter
of the Geological Branch be consulted. Both these officers have receptlv beea
employed on special duty in the country, and, from the nature of their duties,
must know it better, and more in detail, than an ordinary traveller, and are in a
position to give a disinterested opinion.
The Nushki trade route an inferior one.
22. Now of all the routes leading from Persia to India, this one via Koh-i-
Malik Seah and Nushki is unquestionably the most inconvenient, and unattractive,
both for passenger and goods traffic. From places in Central and Southern
Persia the easiest course to India is by road to some port on the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
and thence by sea to Karachi, or Bombay. Consider, for instance, the position
of any town, say Bam, the most westerly of any importance in Central Persia,
and one of all others from which, if the Nushki route has any claims at all to
attract trade from this region, it might expect some traffic. From Bam to
Bunder Abbas is about 15 marches for camels, over country where, I am in
formed there is no scarcity of water, and where grain supplies are procurable
at intervals. Bam to Koh-i-Malik Seah is about 13 marches, but across a
barren uninhabited desert, where water is scarce, and no supplies obtainable.
From Bunder Abbas there is an easy and cheap sea journey to Indian ports,
while from Koh-i-Malik Seah there is about 478 miles of difficult desert country
to traverse as far as Quetta, and in addition a long train'journey before any large
commercial market is reached. Quetta is a frontier outpost, whose population
consists mostly of a military garrison ; it is isolated from the rest of India, and
its bazaar cannot in any way be considered as a favourable trade terminus for
Persian goods. The journey from Bam to Karachi, vid Bunder Abbas, occupies
about 3 weeks, while from Bam to Quetta, via Koh-i-Malik Seah, would reqpire
6 weeks, or more. The cost of transport too for the journey vtd Bunder Abbas,
even including customs dues, is obviously very much cheaper than for that vid
Koh-i-Malik Seah. What a vast diffierence there is then between the relative
advantages of these two routes from Bam to India will, I think, readily be seen.
No merchant in Bam would, in ordinary circumstances, think of sending his
goods to India by the route vid Koh-i-Malik Seah and Nushki in preference
to the one vtd Bunder Abbas.
The above considerations in favour of the southern route would apply with
equal force to towns further east, such as Kerman, Yezd, etc., if the only w f ay
from them to the sea coast lay through Bam, but this is not so, there are more
direct routes, whereas the best, or in fact the only, route from them to Nushki
must pass through Bam ; hence any comparison of the two routes to India from
other towns in Central Persia would show up more unfavourably for the Nushki
route than in the case of Bam. Yet I have seen loud advertisements, both in
the Indian press and elsewhere, describing the increased advantages which this
route offers for trade with India and Central Persia, and giving as an example
an instance of a caravan with carpets which arrived in Quetta last year from
Kerman. During my recent journey I passed a similar caravan on its way from
Kerman to Quetta. But these two instances cannot be taken as any criterion
that the Nushki route will be used by merchants in Central Persia. I understand
both caravans w r ere organized, and their owners guaranteed against financial loss,
by British officers who are interested in making the Nushki route a success. How
any fruitful result can be expected from such action is not quite apparent. An