"تقارير إدارية ١٩٠٥-١٩١٠" [و‎‎٥‎٨] (٦١٦/١٢٠)

REVIEW BY THE POLITICAL EEStDENT IN THE ^Eft^IAN GtTL^. 5
The Government of India is interested in the commerce rather than the poli^
tics of Kermanshah.
In the latter regard any events of the year worthy of record have been entirely
concerned with the constant dissensions between factions in the town in connection
with the institution of the local Majlis ; while the surrounding districts depending
on Kermanshah were continually disturbed chiefly owing to ordinary conditions
of local misgovernment and the confusion prevailing at the capital.
Notwithstanding this it is satisfactory to find that there was a considerable
increase in the volume of trade, especially in imports from the United Kingdom
and India, and His Majesty's Consul considers that there is still a good deal to be
done within his charge in the way of trade development.
In the Customs, Monsieur Heynssens who after coming to an impasse with the
Darya Begi at Bushire had replaced Monsieur Waffelsert at Kermanshah, appears
to be proving as conciliatory there in his relations with the British representative,
as he showed himself to be while at Bushire.
IV.—KEEMAN.
The affairs of Kerman call for no special comment. The annual border meeting
for the investigation and disposal of claims between British subjects and the inhabi
tants of Persian Baluchistan which had been contemplated for some date in January,
had to be given up owing to the unsettled position in Tehran and the fear that the
expected demise of His Majesty Mozaffer-ud-din Shah would excite the Baluch
population to lawlessness and make the movement of small armed parties in
the provinces too dangerous.
The experimental measure referred to in last year's review connected with the
appointment of a British officer as Vice-Consul at Bam, has hardly fulfilled ex
pectations. Lieutenant Ogilvie's 12 months' experience, as dealt with in his re
ports, seems to indicate that an officer located there is by no means favourably
situated for watching the Arms Traffic, and as far as our commercial interests are
concerned, it would appear that the trade of Bam is almost entirely with India
and that there is at present no foreign competition.
Lieutenant Ogilvie applied for furlough towards the end of the year and the
c expediency of replacing him for the present is under the consideration of Govern
ment. This is a question which will no doubt be affected by the nature of our
pending settlement with Eussia.
v.— BUNDER ABBAS.
As in the case of Kermanshah a good deal of unrest prevailed in Bunder
Abbas itself and continual lawlessness and insecurity inland and on the main trade
Routes, a state of things primarily attributable to neglect and rapacity on the part of
petty local officials, but no doubt referable ultimately, at any rate so far as the
Fars jurisdiction is concerned, to the anarchy arising from constant changes
in the personnel of the Governor-General of Ears and Staff and the resulting ad
ministrative chaos treated of fully in Mr. Grahame's record of Shiraz history.
The important inland township of Lar, under Ears, taking advantage of its own
convenient isolation and the present impotency of the Shiraz Government, has
rendered itself conspicuously troublesome by harbouring absconding debtors
from Bunder Abbas and Lingah. It will be noted that the same immunity from
administrative control has enabled the Deputy Governor to dabble freely in the
Arms Traffic. Hitherto repeated representations to the Fars Government on the sub
ject of the attitude of Lar have proved abortive, but it is possible that under His
Excellency the Nizam-es-Sultaneh, the new Govemor-General-elect, an improve
ment in administrative conditions may ensue under which Lar will come in for
closer attention.
Meanwhile it is interesting to record that the Laris generally have displayed
a friendly and well disposed spirit towards British travellers passing through
their district.
With reference to the question of the illegal imposts which have for so long
* handicapped trade in the port of Bunder Abbas itself, it is satisfactory to note that
after repeated representations from His Majesty's Legation at Tehran and the
3147 Jf. D.