Page 228 - Gulf Precis (VI)_Neat

202 Part III.

In like manner lottcrs posted in the letter-box in the town wero carried to the
Consular post olTico by the postmaster for despatch.
135. In 1S82 a Postal Superintendent from the Bombay Circlo visited
Basrah for tho purposes of inspection, and anxious to extend the usefulness of
the post office in tho town, placed a pillar letter-box in tho Kassim Aga Bazaar,
forgetful that our post office was Consular and that such an act was tlioreforc
unjustifiable. For some time previous to this tho British Indian post offices
in Turkish Arabia had boon viewed with disfavour by tho Ottomau Government,
and in this very year a demand had been made by the Ottoman Minister for
Foreign Affairs at Constantinople for tho suppression of the post offices at
Baghdad and Basrah, and in tho corrcspondouco which followed botwcon tho
local Government and Brilish Political authorities tho town post office at
Basrah and tho pillar letter-box were, as having an existence apart from tho
Consular post office, specially quoted as an infringement of tho right Turkey
possessed in common with other nations of making her own postal arrange­
ments.
13G. The town post office, which had no place in tho hooks of tho Indian
post office and appears to have been unknown till 1882, was far removed from
Consular supervision and should never have been allowed to grow up, but
having been in existence for upwards of thirteen years could not, for political
reasons, ho removed on tho sudden demand of the local Government. The
correspondence which took place on this subject between tho Vali at Baghdad
and n. B. M.’s Consul-Gcucral for Turkish Arabia is dealt with in the next
section, hut it may bo mentioned as a measure adopted by the local Governor
at Basrah that iu July 18S3 Turkish Gendarmerie were placed at the town post
office to prevent people using it. The matter was at once taken up by the
British Consul and tho soldiers withdrawn by the Turkish Governor.
137. Tho town post office owing to its informal character and its distance
from Consular supervision was a source of auxioty to the Indian Postal
authorities and to the Political officers on tho spot, and it was determined that
tho earliest opportunity should be taken to close tho so-called post offico and
to remove the pillar letter-box.
138. In 1883 tho Cousul while riding through the bazaars stopped opposite
the pillar-box and made an open enquiry as to whether it was much used, and
receiving a reply in the negative, had the box dug up and carried to the
Consulate. But it was not till March 18S7 that an opportunity occurred for
the abolition of the town post office. The difficulty lay in obtaining quarters
for the postmaster near tho Consulate, hut a suitable place having been found
in March 1887, the pretext for maintaining the town office no longer existed
and it was closed.
139. This step, however satisfactory from a postal and political point of
view and however pleasing to the Turkish Government, was a severe blow to
local merchants and traders, and a petition was submitted by them through the
Superintendent of Post Offices, Persian Gulf and Turkish Arabia, to the
Postmaster-General, Bombay, praying for its restoration.
140. During the imposition of quarantine at Basrah, which is nearly all the
year round, mails are landed, in charge
Quarantine.
of the postmaster and mail officer of the
incoming steamer, at the quarantine station and fumigated, boforo being taken
to the post office. The quarantine station was originally three miles from Basrah
.and considerable delay occurred bofore mails could be taken to the post office,
although a steam-launch belonging to the Agent of tho British India Steam
Navigation Company was employed on this service. In 1885 the station was
moved to within a few hundred yards of the British Consulate, and very little
delay since then took placo in convoying mails to the post office.
141. In regard to parcel mails, there have been difficulties with the Customs
authorities from time to time as at Baghdad,
Pared..
though in a lessor degree, and the ques­
tion of parcel mails at Basrah has frequently como under discussion. The
treatment of parcel mails in 1888 at Basrah was as follows.