Page 259 - PERSIAN 9 1931_1940

17
Fathers and the poor health of Father Blencowe, eventually led to their with­
drawal and the closing down of the monastery.. An Armenian priest, educated
in Home, has since been stationed here, as a successor, by the Apostolic Dele­
gate at Tehran.
Orders were received by the Judicial Department during the year pro­
hibiting the use of all foreign words and phrases in legal documents and C01TCH-
pondcnco.
Military.—The Fars Brigade is to acquire Divisional status by the forma­
tion of a third infantry regiment and the increase of the cavalry to regimental
strength.
Work has been proceeding at the Bag-i-Takht barracks, to the N. of the
town, to double the accommodation available for the infantry and artillery.
New barracks to house the cavalry regiment jare being put up, about one mile
to the S. of the town, on the Bushirc road. The construction of aeroplane
sheds at the aerodrome is under consideration and a French aviation adviser
visited Shiraz in June.
The troops at Shiraz are receiving regular training and the appearance
of officers and men is good. Sartip Ibrahim Khan Zandieh is G. 0. C.
Amnieh.—The Southern Amnieh (Road Guards) Command in the Pro­
vince of Fars was abolished in August, when the force in the area became the
8th Shiraz Amnieh Regiment.
The 19th Regiment of Amnieh of Fars was moved to Laristan in March.
The discipline and conduct of the road guards has shown improvement,
although complaints of the exactions of some of the men in the remoter areas
are heard from time to time.
Communications.—A new road between Shiraz and Tal-i-Khosrau was
opened in the early part of the year and repaired after the spring rains.
A road from Shiraz to Bandar-i-Lingeh, via Jarhum, Lar and Bastak,
was reported to be nearing completion in the late summer.
No further progress has been made on the new Shiraz-Firuzabad road.
The approach to the Qoran Gate entrance of the town (Isfahnn-Shirnz
road) was widened to permit of two vehicles passing each other.
A new avenue to cut through the town of Shiraz from W. to E. was
begun toward^ the end of the year.
A telegraph instrument was set up at Dchbid in September.
The Shiraz-Bushire road was closed to traffic for short periods from
January to March owing to heavy rains and snow. Snow on the heights at
Dchbid stopped passage on the Shiraz-Isfahan road in February.
Irrigation.—An attempt was made to increase the water supplies of the
town and district of Shiraz, with the expert advice of Dr. Lepmann, a German
civil engineer. The latter had not obtained a contract by the end of the year
and resigned.
A project to improve irrigation in the Ramjerd area, by the construction
of a more solid barrage for the waters of the Band-i-Amir, was being con­
sidered.
Economic conditions.—The economic condition of the Province has been
bad owing to the tightness of money, the restrictions upon trade and the drain
of taxation, which has proved a heavy burden upon all classes.
Manv merchants attribute this state to the large sums sunk annually in
the armed forces and in the building of the railway, a policy which withdraws
a large part of the liquid assets of the country from circulation, without
productive result.
Conditions locally were further aggravated in the early part of the year
by the failure rf two of the leading sarraf, on the top of the failure of Soyycd
Abdul Rrsul Kazaruni. The bazaar was very weak and several small bank­
ruptcies followed. The Banks were compelled to come to the assistance of
other sarraf to strengthen the market.