Page 140 - Historical Summaries (Persian Gulf) 1907-1953

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they desired to do so, I doubt if they have the
power."
The Government of India have dono their best
to chock the trade at the Porsian ports. In 1900
a Vice-Consul was appointed to Bunder Abbas,
whore “ it was hoped that the presence of a British
officer might lend to the display of greater vigour
in the repression of the illicit importation of
arms along the neighbouring portions of the
Persian const." In 1002 measures were con­
certed with the Persian Governor-General of
Mekran to prevent the importation of arms into
Pcraiau Baluchistan, and to impose restrictions
on their possession in that province. A further
Conference on the subject took place between the
Porsian officials on tho Mekran border and the
British frontier officers in 1900, and the desire
to cope with the illegal traffic in arms was one
of the reasons which led, in the same year, to the
temporary appointment of Lieutenant G. D.
Ogilvie as Vice-Consul at Bam.
But the nature of tho country is such that,
once the consignments are landed an<J clear of
the coast, it is virtually impossible to catch
the caravans conveying them into the interior.
This view is confirmed by the .Report furnished
by Lieutenant Ogilvio, who travelled through
Persian Baluchistan in June 1906 on his way
to tako up his duties at Bam. lie said that the
legal Persian authorities were quite incapable of
dealing with the traffic, and that the Afghans
employed in smuggling arms up countiy from
the coast were invariably well armed, and could
overcome any opposition offered to them with
the greatest ease; and ho explained in a later
Report that “ tho communications in Baluchistan
are so unspeakably bad that large caravans, when
once they liave left the coast, can travel without
any fear of interference, even if such interference
were contemplated by the authorities, and with
the utmost secrecy." It may be added that tho
Sirdars of Persian Baluchistan are not beyond
tho suspicion of having a pecuniary interest in
the trade.
As recently as November 1907 further measures
were introduced by the Government of India, at
the suggestion of Mr. New, of the Indo-European
Telegraph Department, for dealing with tho arms
traffic on tho Mekran coast. These measures
included the creation of a small corps of camel
sowars to patrol the coast between Jask and