Page 57 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911_Neat

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BE8IDENCY FOK THE YEAR 1905-1003. 47
Other causes besides the cost of living have, however, helped towards this
falling off of trade, as for example, the depreciation in the value of the Kran,
the fact that transport liaB been much more expensive, and much more difficult
to got from Baghdad, owing to the -fact that the Turkish authorities have
seized most of the camels for tlioir expeditions. The increased facilities for
transport to the north by the new Russian built road from Kazwin toHamadaa
has also attracted much of the trade from the Baghdad-Kermanshah route.
The following is an approximate estimate of the number of loads brought
into Kerman8hah by the Baghdad route during tho last year,—camels, 17,000,
mules 69,000, donkeys 16,000.
Traffic in arms.—The confiscation!! of arms smuggled into the country
according to the Director-General, amounted to—
Rifiea . . • 32
Double-barrelled guno 6
Cartridges . « 1,G00
Revolvers . , 12
Revolver-cartridgeo « 700
Gunpowder, about 40 lbs.
The above will Bhow that there is not much smuggling in arms done by
this route.
Customs.—The customs when I arrived here in 1904 were under the
charge of Monsieur A. Molitor, with a M. Fabri under him.
In 1905, on my return from TJramia, the Director-General was Monsieur
"Waffelacrt, with an assistant, Baron Fallon. This Monsieur Maffeiaert was
the same gentleman who was removed from Bushire. I am glad to say that
he has given no trouble of any sort here, and, indeed, has said that if be were
allowed to return to Bushire the Political Resident would find no difficulty
whatsoever with him.
Baron Fallon retired from the service during the year, and has not been
replaced.
The Director-General at Kermanshah is also in charge of the Customs of
Hamadan, Malayar and Kurdistan. Be has, however, so much work at head­
quarters, especially while ho is without an assistant, that he is utterly unable
to personally supervise his subordinates at the branch offices, with what results
may be imagined.
All goods coming from Baghdad are sealed at the frontier, and passed on
to Kermanshah, where the Customs duties are calculated and in the case of
goods for the town, are handed over to the consignees, while goods for other
parts of Persia are passed on on payment of the dues.
Goods coming from the North are registered at Resht, and do not come
into the figures of the Kennanshah Customs Reports at alL It is therefore
absolutely impossible to get accurate figures for the trade of this province.
> Not only do the imports from the North not figure at all, but a great deal
of the goods that are entered as imported into Kermanshah are really for
distribution to other parts of Persia.
The Customs are also in charge of the Imperial Treasury at Kermanshah,
and meet the expenditure for public buildings and the general administration
of the province.
_ ,, The Customs receipts for the last three years for this province are as
follow8:—
Kona,
1903- 04 4.500.000
1904- 05 4.300.000
1905- 06
3.600.000 approxi­
mately.
~ Fr01? these receipts are met the expenses of administration, pay of customs
in«wT,-^Urn^Ur^J f6111, of aU buildines* repairs, etc. Also all expenses or
tb emait*f3 oj^ered by the Central Administration, and the balance is sent
rough the Russian Bank at Hamadan (with the exeeption of Kraus 10,000
Tehran^ mt° Bank of Persia here), for transmisaiaift to