ملف رقم ١٠٣٢ لسنة ١٩١٤، الجزء ٢، "الخليج الفارسي: التجارة مع موانئ الخليج" [و‎‎١‎٥‎٥] (٣٠٦/٣٠٣)

The charges per ton from Batoum to Baku by rail, from Baku to Enzeh by
steamer and over the short distance between Enzeli and Resht are not known
here, but it is clear that the total cost per ton from Batoum to Ispahan must be
considerably cheaper than from Bushire or Baghdad to Ispahan.
As regards ( 3 ) high rates of transport hire from Bushire to Ispahan and
Kermanshah to Ispahan, combination among forwarding merchants in Bushire
has made it possible to bring rates down and keep them steady during the diffi
cult period of scarcity experienced in Persia in 1913-14, and it is hoped that a
good harvest in 1914 will permit of a return to still more moderate and normal
rates between Bushire and Shiraz. Cost of transport and the capacity for
forwarding large quantities of tea and other goods from Bushire to Ispahan are,
however, seriously hampered and affected by the dispersion and dearth of
transport animals on the road and the growing seriousness of this problem,
which is partly the cause of so little tea and other goods reaching central Persian
markets from the Persian Gulf, makes it urgent that His Majesty’s Government
should direct His Majesty’s Consular Officers at the towns en route to secure
the co-operation of the local authorities in bringing more owners of animal
transport to work on this route.
Meanwhile rates of steamer freight from India to the Gulf might be better
adjusted to compete with rates to Batoum-a prominent Indian merchant of
Persian origin in Calcutta has stated that the cheapness of freight to Batoum
and dearness of freight to Bushire and Baghdad has much to do with the tea
trade being diverted to Russia and the north of Persia.
With the great interest which Lord Inchcape now has in the trade of the
Gulf ports and Baghdad, he might possibly be willing to make experimental
reductions of freights on tea, if placed in possession of the above facts and
figures.
2. Reduction of duty on import of tea into /Vsi'a.—(Previous references
Foreign Office to His Majesty’s Legation, Tehran, No. 8 (9620-10) of 29th April
iqio. Bushire despatches to Legation, Nos. 64 and 89 of 15th September and
30th November 1912 ; to Government of India, Nos. 2216 and 3190 of same
dates.)
The reduction of duty (from the present 66 per cent ad valorem) would
much improve the import of tea vid the Gulf to Central Persia, and thoug o
equal incidence in Northern and Southern Persia its effect would certain y e
much greater in Southern Persia, for not only, would it stimula e merchants in
the Gffif region to larger imports, but by putting an end to the large smugging
which now militates against bona fide trade in tea vid Persian ports, it would
send the traffic back to its proper channels and give merchants confidence.
Enclosures in this memorandum will show correspondence since the des
patches cited above and the present stage
Telegram from His Majesty’s Minister, Tehran. { ^ proposal, that the Administrator
to the Political Resident in the Pecs.ao Gulf, Ol ^ ’ Tehran should be
No 63, dated nth February 1913- ^ General or Customs at ienran snouiu ue
Telegram from the Political Resident in the i J tQ a2re e tO a material reduction ot
Persian Gulf, to His Majesty’s Min.ster, Tehran, fSKea IU
No. 174, dated 30 th March 1913- „ the rate ot duty—i o— 1 5 per cent nas oeen
Telegram from His Majesty’s Minister, Tehran g ,, este( T Subsequently to telegram
No gg ,4. of^st April ,9.3, from His
Majesty’s Minister, it was suggested from Bushire that a reduction 0 ‘ e duty
on tea should be made a condrtron of agreement to M. Mornard s proposed
increase of the Customs tariff on many articles.
Now that it would appear that His Majesty's Government have decided
definitely against M. Mornard’s proposal, it would perhaps be possible for H s
Majestyhs Government to take up the question of tea with the Customs Depa t-
ment a^ Tehran a«ain and press for a reduction of the ex.stmg rate so damag-.
iTto legitimate tfade’ It U difficult to think of any article of trade, a reduct,on
7 Zy on which at Russia’s request would harm British ™ m merce or commerce
vid the Persian Gulf, and seeing the already large ' m P or , l, L a l t^efh«
might it not be possible that the Russian Government would not be altogether
averse to a reduction ? u r rMirK -
Commercial Adviser.