Page 126 - PERSIAN 9 1931_1940

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Tho lighting arrangements have greatly* improved owing to-the clcctrin i
imported in 1931 by Sheikh. Abul Kossim Harandi, the Russian Sales °\P*
now functioning. Tlie Municipality at one time endeavoured to go in x°nt»
partner-
ship in this concern but failed. It is generally believed that the concern is
actually a Russian one.
From the month of May to the close of the year the Governor-Gone™ 1 i
as the Chief of the Municipality but in December a edrtain Waziri who hi
held the post twice before, was re-appointed. Locally made water-carts ha<*
been introduced. uvo
Agriculture.—M. Makarian, the representative of the Department of Act'
culture in the Kerman Province, received orders in September to close down
his office and return to Tehran. No useful work has so far been accomnUci* J?
in this province by the Agricultural authorities. P ■
An Armenian representative of the Ministry of Economics paid a visit to
Rafsinjan in April to examine the Pistachio post : nothing further has been
heard on the subject.
Heavy rains of a tropical nature fell in the whole province of Kerman on
the l.G|17th July causing heavy floods all round. A number of houses were
damaged and some lives lost. Great damage was caused to qanats (watcr-
ejianncls). The Governor-General's estimate of the total damage to the pro­
vince was in the vicinity of 10 million Turaans. 524 qanats suffered out of a
total of 3,000 in the province. The land-owners have not yet been able to repair
the larger number, of these owing to want of ready cash. The land-produce will
thus not reach the normal level for a number of years to come. Owing to a good
deal of harvest having, been washed away by the floods, scarcity of cJom was
already being felt in Kerman at the end of the year.
Locusts.—Two swarms of. locusts appeared in the districts of Jiruft and
Rudbar in January, but they caused no damage. In fact the insects were used
as food by the poorer inhabitants—a not unusual practice in the above districts.
The province was thus free from the locust pest' throughout the year.
Scjjil-i-Ahwaal.—Mirza.Mohammad Ali’Khan, Dabir Ilahi, was the chief of
the Census Department at the close of the year. No cases of corruption in this
Department were reported during the year, and there have been few instances
of default on the part of the public to obtain, their Sejjil-i-Ahwaal papers.
10. Local Politics.—During the year the taking over by the Government of
all tlie-* Waqf * property (endowments) in the country was advocated bv local
papers calling upon the leading Mullahs to support the suggestion. Tho
Governor-General also tried, directly or indirectly to influence the chief Mullahs
of Kerman to make public utterances on the same subject but received no
response.
The conversion to Islam of three Russians in the month of January caused
some rejoicing in the town.
In October the election campaign to the 9th Mcdjliss was started and com­
pleted at the close of the year. With the exception of the Sirjan constituency
the .Governor-General had orders to arrange for the re-election of the former
deputies, who were :—
{ .. Dabistani.
Kerman town and environs .. Muayyid-i-Ahmadi.
Rafsinjan .. A mir-i-Ibrail imi.
Jiruft and Rudbar .. .. Roohi.
Bam • A • « .. Dr. Malikzadeh.
Mirza Hassan IChan, Mirat Isfandiari, replaced Dr. Sheikh (Thya-ul-Mulk)
for Sirjan.
returned under anv circumsf'in/.Iar° the Government nominees were to be
except by the parties 8’ a° rea lntorest was taken in the proceedings
fn Kcmian to ’Tehran oskiiur fnr^' A.rePrc‘sentation, by the tradimr community
their community met with^io response810” e*GC* one ^cPuty for the town from
the Mullahs has^waneTstni8 further^ °f any poIiticaI eVent* The influence of

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