Page 254 - PERSIAN 9 1941_1947

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043 The Iranian pa at lorry coming from Ie-
-fnhan was ahat at at Ahmadabai near Kefalnjan. Tho driver
and several pasaengera were wounded and traffio waa Buepen-
-ded far twa day a until rein f or 0 omenta of gendarmerie ar-
-rived from Kerman and the road r/aa clfarei.

VII. C OMLfUHI 6 AT IONS *
Raftdlb« During tho year tho Kerraan-Zohidan raa« remained
^ildor the supervision of tho R.E*8 and was kept in good
repair. But the Kerraan-Yozd road was handed ever to the
Persian Road Department and thereafter rapidly deteriorated.
Na progress was made v/ith road construction elsev/here in
tho area. In the autumn Mr.Y/etll, ^wiss subject, resident
in Kerman put forward a scheme to connect the Jiruft valley
ta tho Bqb road at Dorza/n. Part of this road already ex-
-ists and oauld easily be put in good condition, but there
is a gan in the centre when the road thero crosses the Kuh-
-1-Jsbai Bariz. Unfortunately tho plan came to nothing,
tut the construction of this road would open up a very fer­
tile area.
_________ Work was begun by the R.E’s on the new Kerman
Aviation.
aerodrome, which wa3 not ooapleted by the enu of the year.
Wireless. The Kerman wireless continued, to v/ork spasms d.-
-ioally. It is normally tested v/ith Tehran four times a
week, and oan work Jask, Lingeh, Bushire, Shiraz and Meshed.

VIII. SCCKOKIC COIJDITIOWS.

The year opened v/ith the focd crisis still at Its worst.
The Government 'unbars* had already become empty and. the grain
expected from ^•a.h-u.l end hgndar "bbas failed to arrive in time.
Iiii Transport difficulties helped to a.^ravute the situation.
Free bread was available in limited quanties but the prices
. char,red were exhorbitcnt and the poor were in great olffieul-
-tiea. The Kharbar Department was ordered to purchase dates,
but the officials found this an exoeilent opportunity of fil-
-ling their own pockets. German area had had an excellent date
crop whioh should have compensated for the failure of the wheat
and barley crops, but officials inefficiency and corruption
proved too strong and even dates became scarce. They were
either hoarded, or exported to Yezd. or Khor/aa^an. The dates
the *kavbar department was eventaully able to buy through its
• orrupt agents were of the most inferior type and almost in-
-edible, while the prices charged were, of eourso, for the
moot superior quality* The Consular liaison Officer tried his
best to 8top this racket and insisted that the peorle should
at least be provided with good dates. But as he locked, exetu-
-tive authority he eould not effect nuoh improvement*
Hearting of grain was suspected ant anti-hoarding e'amp-
-aigns under the direot supervision of the Consular liaison
Officer were started but the results achieved were negligible,
as the landlords had dispersed their stocks amongst their ten-
-aanta* One good effect of these aetirities however was that
the hoarded grain was forced on to the black market, and free
bakeries increased in numbers from about six t# fourteen*
The Consular Liaison Officer alee arranged for gr«i* to
be brought from Zabul and "jmgar Abbas* It was, however, not
till the end ef February that Zabul grain began to arrive,
nnd even then swing to shortage tf transport amounts reoeived
were insufficient and wore quiekly used up* This hand-to-
nenth cxietenoe eentinued till the end ef April. After that
the wcrot was over, and the new harvest, whisk was expeete*!
* -/14*