Page 226 - Gulf Precis (VI)_Neat

200 Part HI.

ono of the officers carried on shore mails addressed to tlio port and handed
them over to the Agents. At the same time notices were posted up intimating
the hour at which tho steamer would leave. Lons heforo tlio mail was landed
peoplo collected at tho Agent’s offico to receive their letters. Ouo or two
persons read out addresses to an assembled crowd and letters wero thus de­
livered. Some of theso letters wore prepaid with Indian postage stamps, but
tlio hull; was either unpaid or insufficiently paid, and no attempt was mado
to roalizo postage duo. Numbors of loose letters were taken on board tho
8leanicr just before her departure and merchants who had cargo to ship carried
their open letters on hoard and after receiving the hill of lading enclosed it
and handed the letter to tho Captain or ono of tlio ship’s officers. Tho necessity
for properly organised postal arrangements was keenly felt and representations
were mado to this cITeot by the Political officers in the Gulf to the Postal
authorities in India and to the Government of .Bombay.
125, Tho first post offices in tho Torsion Gulf were oponed in May 18G1* at
Busliire and Maskat, and at various inter­
First Post Ollicci.
vals from 1801 to 1S84 post oflices wero
established at Pander Abbas, Linga, Gnadur, .Task and finally at Pabrein. Post
offices in Turkish Arabia were established at a somowhat later date than the
first post offices in the Persian Gulf.
120. In 1807 an inspecting officer of tho Pombay Circle was sent to examine
and report on post offices in the Porsian Gulf and having completed his ex­
amination of those ollices proceeded to Basrah ami Baghdad, lie found tho
Consular postal arrangemonts at the lattor places wanting in most respects, and
with tho consent of Sir Arnold Kcroball, Consul-General, Baghdad, who pro­
mised his cordial support, post offices were opened at Baghdad and Basrah on tho
1st January ISOS. At Baghdad the duties of postmaster were undertaken by a
senior clerk of the Consulate General and at Basrah by tlio Vico-Cousul with
the aid of a Munslii.
127. Tho post offices in tho Persian Gulf wero first placed under the control
of the Bombay Postal Circle, but in 1SG9
Control of tlio Post Offices.
they were transferred to tho Sind Circle
and placed under the Chief Inspector of Post Offices, Sind, who was then
designated Chief Inspector of Post Offices, Sind and tho Persian Gulf. In
1879 they were finally re-transferred to the Bombay Circle and placed under the
Postmaster General of Bombay.
128. Por some years the post offices worked under the supervision of tbo
Political authorities and at tlio principal
Character of the Pest Offices.
places tho duties of postmaster were per­
formed by officials of tho respective Political Agencies, who received in re­
muneration for their services an allowance from tho Post Office revenues. In
time, however, the development of correspondence and increase in the different
branches of postal work necessitated tho appointment of separate postmasters,
and a degree of independence sprung up which was duo almost wholly to the
groat distance of tho offices from departmental control.

(ii) Basrali Post Office, 1868—1888.

129. On the 1st January 1808 an experimental post office was opened at
Basrali on a consolidated allowance of Bs.
Establishment.
50 per mensem. On the 1st April following*
at the request of the Consul-General, Baghdad, the allowance was raised to Its.
75 per mensem. On the 1st June of the same year tho experimental period was
extended and in July 1SG9 the office was established as a permanency under
Government of India, Financial Department, No. 2U6, dated 30th Kovember

130. The duties of postmastor were at first undertaken by the Vice-Consul,
but in December 1870 the work bad increased to such an extent that a