Page 107 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

REVIEW BY THE POLITICAL RESIDENT IN THE PERSIAN OtlLV. t
The Government of India is interested in the commerce rather than the poll*
tics of Kcrmanshah.
In the latter regard any events of the year worthy of record have been entirely
concerned with the constant dissensions between factions in the town in connection
with the institution of the local Majlis ; while the surrounding districts depending
on Kcrmanshah were continually disturbed chiefly owing to ordinary conditions
of local misgovernment and the confusion prevailing at the capitaL
Notwithstanding this it is satisfactory to find that there was a considerable
increase in the volume of trade, especially in imports from the United Kingdom
and India, and His Majesty’s Consul considers that there is still a good deal to be
done within bis charge, in the way of trade development.
In the Customs, Monsieur Heyns3ens who after coming to an impasse with the
Darya Begi at Bushin* bad replaced Monsieur Waffehert at Kermanshah, appears
to be proving as conciliator}’ there in his relations with the BrL*sh representative,
as he showed himself to be while at Bushire.
IV.—KERMAN.
The affairs of Kerman call for no special comment. The annual border meeting
for the investigation and disposal of claims between British subjects and the inhabi­
tants of Persian Baluchistan which had been contemplated iorsorae date in January,
had to be given up owing to the unsettled position in Tehran and the fear that the
expected demise of His Majesty Mozafier-ud-din Shah would excite the Baluch
population to lawlessness and make the movement of small armed parties in
the provinces too dangerous.
The experimental measure referred to in last year’s review connected with the
appointment of a British officer as Vice-Consul at Bam. has hardly fulfilled ex­
pectations. Lieutenant Ogilvie’s 12 months’ experience, as dealt with in his re­
ports, seems to indicate that an officer located there is by no means favourably
situated for watching the Arms Traffic, and as far as our commercial interests are
concerned, it would appear that the trade of Bain is almost entirely with India
and that there is at present no foreign competition.
Lieutenant Ogilvie applied for furlough towards the end of the year and the
expediency of replacing him for the present is under the consideration of Govern­
ment. This is a question which will no doubt be affected by the nature of our
pending settlement with Russia.

V—BUNDER ABBAS.
As in the case of Kermanshah a good deal of unrest prevailed in Bunder
Abbas itself and continual lawlessness and insecurity inland and on the main trade
routes, a state of things primarily attributable to neglect and rapacity on the part of
petty local officials, but no doubt referable ultimately, at any rate so far as the
Pars jurisdiction is concerned, to the anarchy arising from constant changes
in the personnel of the Governor-Genera! of Fare and Staff and the resulting ad­
ministrative chaos treated of fully in Mr. Grahame’s record of Shiraz history.
The important Inland township of Lar, under Fars, taking advantage of its own
convenient isolation and the present impotency of the Shiraz Government, has
rendered itself conspicuously troublesome by harbouring absconding debtors
from Bunder Abhas and Lingah. It will be noted that the same immunity from
administrative control has enabled the Deputy Governor to dabble freely in the
Anns Traffic. Hitherto repeated representations to the Fare Government on the sub­
ject of the attitude of Lar have proved abortive, but it is possible that under His
Excellency the Nizam-es-Sultaneh, the new Governor-General-elect, an improve­
ment in administrative conditions may ensue under which Lar will come in for
closer attention.
Meanwhile it is interesting to record that the Laris generally have displayed
a friendly and well disposed spirit towards British travellers "passing through
their district. ^ h
With reference to the question of the illegal imposts which have for so lom?
handicapped trade in the port of Bunder Abhas itself, it is satisfactory to note that
after repeated representations from His Majesty’s Legation at Tehran and the
3147 K, I).