"سيستان، بلاد فارس وسيستان" [و‎‎٦‎٢] (٦١٧/١٢٨)

3
• 1 Jemadar
2 Duifadars, Ks. 35 each
9 Sowars, Rs. 20 each ...
m-t we and :t !s ' 1 the
Mingals and Rakhshant of Xsti is very s “ht 'n ° Ver the
allegiance but very little else He W -nn J sll o^. These tribes owe him
sack an out-of-tlfe-way cornel of ht^ ^ tt ent01 f nS his co “ trol ™
a-sscr?? 2 '
»«»~d»..«.»! *« • v***
in every w'ay better that the Khan’s direct authority along the roadTnd °n the
tuba,l countiy immediately adjoining it should be excluded altogether and that
t0 “^n 6 ° Ur arranglmentdire^whh
will he seen,^the KIianiia^willingly aSStgive. ° f GOTera ^ 14
. 7. Subsequently I bad an interview with the Mingal Sardar and called on
him also to give, assistance m the matter of the road. I pointed out that he
could not be permitted to levy dues at rates higher than those authorised bv Sir
Kobeit Sandeman, and that m order to prevent complaints and exactions, it was
bel ter that the dues should be collected by the Government and the proceeds
paid to him. In the end, after much discussion, the Sardar agreed to this
proposal He also agreed that only half the net proceeds of our collection
should be paid to him, and that the other half (the so-called Khan’s share)
might be used by Government in maintaining posts on the road. Finally, in
the event of. Government proposing to buy up the dues altogether, he agreed to
relinquish his claims entirely for the payment of Rs. 7,000 a year, out of which
Rs. 3,400 would be paid as an allowance to himself and Rs. 3,600 in the main
tenance of a Mingal levy post at Nushki
of the strength* shown in the margin.
The Sardar’s agreement is contained in his
letter to me of the 27th November, of
which a copy and translation are attached
(Appeudix 1)).
8. In accordance with this agreement, and pending the orders of Govern
ment on this report, I am instructing Lieutenant Webb Ware to appoint a
Munshi at Nushki with a few sowars for the collection of dues in accordance
■with the rates fixed by Sir Robert Sandeman, and to keep for the present an
account of the proceeds received. This will at any rate prevent the irregular
and excessive exactions by which the Khan’s contractor and the Mingal Sardar
have been in the habit of worrying the traders, and will enable some method
to be introduced into the system of collection. At the same time it must
be confessed that it will not be easy to supervise even a Government
Munshi at a place like N ushki, and to ensure that we receive all he collects,
for Mr. Webb Ware himself will be away in the desert all through the
cold weather. I would therefore strongly recommend that, in accordance
with the policy adopted elsewhere, the Government of India should adopt
the alternative agreed to by the Mingal Sardar, and buy up the Nushki
dues once for all for the very moderate sum of Rs. 7,000 a year. The
knowledge that all dues have been done away with will be a great incentive to
the traders to make use of this route, and to bring grain into Quetta from
Seistan, and will do more than anything else to make the route a popular one.
The amount too, Rs. 7,000, is, I think, most moderate, and much less than I
expected we should have to pay when I commenced these negotiations. Captain
McMahon considered that in 1895 the dues realised amounted,. including the
Khan’s share, to Rs. 15,000. This no doubt was an outside estimate, and the
amount collected must necessarily have been subject to great fluctuations. But
including bis Sardari tax (over and above the dues) of 4 annas a camel load, the
Mingal Sardar must often have received as much as. Rs. /,000 m a year. We
cannot abolish the taxes without compensation, and it may be more difficult
to buy them up later on if in the meantime the trade and the income from the
Total
Rs.
50
70
180
300 p in.