Page 153 - Historical Summaries (Persian Gulf) 1907-1953

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and lent additional urgency to the question of
improving the sanitary defence of the Gulf.
Sir 0. Spring-Rice With a despatch dated the 19th May, 1907,
to Sir E. Groy,
May 19, 1907. Sir C. Spring-Rico transmitted a Memorandum by
Dr. Schneider, President of the Tehran Sanitary
Council, on the measures lie recommended for
the improvement of the quarantine service.
These measures included the appointment of
commissioned oflicors of tho medical service to
all five ports, and the provision of a stove and
Clayton apparatus (for destroying rats, &o.), ns
Sir 0. Spring-Rice well as a resorve stove, at Bushiro. Sir C. Spring-
to Sir E. Grey,
May 80, 1907. Rice added, in a telegram dated the 30th May,
that the Sanitary Council, “while strongly
approving the measures proposed, did not possess
tho necessary personnel, appliances, or funds
to carry out tho scheme, and would he very
grateful for tho assistance of the Government of
India. Sir C. Spring-1»ice expressed himself
strongly in favour of the proposed improvements
being undertaken by the British Government,
and in this view the Foreign Office concurred,
the following statement of policy being made in
Mr. Mallet’s letter of the 21st Juno, 1907:—
Foroign Office to “During the eleven years in whicli the control
India Office,
June 21, 1907. of quarantine arrangements in tho Gulf has been
in British hands, the Government of India havo
spent large sums on the service, which would he
entirely lost if any ohango in the control were
now to be made; and Sir E. Grey entirely agrees
I
with His Majesty’s Minister in considering it of
i great importance, both politically and commer­
cially, to endeavour to maintain the status quo by
iniproviug the efficiency of the medical service.”
Sire. Spring-Rico In July 1907 the Sanitary Council reported in
to Sir E. Grey,
July 12, 1907. favour of an extended scheme of improvement
including sanitary stations at Bunder Abbas’
Busliire, Mohammerah, .Task, and Lingab, with a
mobile service under a European doctor. The
Russian representative on tho Council proposed
that tho sauitury service should be in “ strict
collaboration with the Customs,” who should use
the five small steamers they had recently ac­
quired; he also desired the appointment of the
French doctor of the Russian Consulate at
Bushire as I aspect or-Gonerul. Representations
wore made to tho Russian Government, on
the 24th July, in which it was pointed out
that His Majesty’s Government considered “ the
present quarantine arrangements as one of their
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