Page 121 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

POLITICAL RESIDENCY FOR 1C33-1C07. 10
The two following points in connection with non-British trade deserve note.
In the end of March 1006 Herr Heinrich Burger travelling for the “ Badiccher
Anilin und Soda Fabrik ” visited Shiraz, where he remained more than a month.
He secured an order for 20 cases of synthetic indigo and gave practical illustrationo
to Shiraz dyers in the use of this article. It may be reasonably conjectured that
the import into Fare of Indian indigo is destined to suffer from and eventually to be
killed by the introduction of German synthetic indigo. About December 1908 the
Singer Sewing Machine Company opened a branch in Shiraz. The representative
French subject M. Ignacc Muller (formerly a teacher in the schools of the “ Alliance
de la langue Fransaise ” at Tehran) assisted by his wife, a native of Tiflis, appears
to have had some success in pushing the sale of rewing machines in Shiraz and
proposes to send out native agents to Jahrum, Fasa, Lar, etc.

AGRICULTURE.
In the districts of Fare north of Shiraz, as also in the immediate environs of the
town, the grain crops of 1906 would appear to have been better than for several
years past.
This improvement was less noticeable in the districts south of Shiraz in some of
which there had been a lack of rain.
The poppy crops varied considerably according to the locality, but would
appear to have been better than those of 1*905.
There was an unusually plentiful yield of grapes of all kinds.

PUBLIC SECURITY.
The condition of the Shiraz-Bushire road throughout the year was oejnornDie.
Robberies, the majority apparently by tribesman, were frequent. Two bri.ga.nda.
Mullah Mansour and Malek Manai. infested the district between Kazeroon and
Daliki. British dress stiffrired extecsEvefy. The Persian past was not spared. In
November 1906 the Residency messenger bearing despatches from His Majesty's
Legation for the Government oi India was held up, apparently by Kashgaia. and
robbed of tbe oftkriaS desp3l*db-ba,g with all its contents, of personal effects, monty,
badge, etc. None of the stolen despatches,, effects, etc., have been recovered; co
redress givers. Like several other outrages which occurred on the Bushire road at or
about the same time, the robbery of the Residency messenger was alleged by the
Ears authorities to have been the work of Kashgais acting under instigation, of
Prince Shuaa’-ul-Sultaneh with a view to discrediting Aia-ul-Dowleh.
The misconduct of the road-guards, more particularly on the portion of tbe
road between Kazeroon and Borasjoon, who continue to levy dues from the mule­
teers under the name of “ tufankji-giri (guard-dues), to blackmail and in some
cases assault travellers and to molest the Residency messengers, formed the subject
of repeated representations from His Majesty’s Consul to the Fars authorities, who
however persistently ignored these. No case is known to the British Consulate
of a road-guard having been punished for misconduct.
The condition of the Shiraz-Ispahan road, though considerably better than that
of the southern road, left much to be desired. A British missionary and his wife
were the sufferers in an extensive robbery committed in June near Yeadi-kasht.
No compensation or redress has been obtained from the Fars authorities who allege
the robbers to have been Batittian tribesmen. °

BRITISH CLAIMS.
Owing in part to the friendly attitude which Ala-ul-Dowleh was induced to
assume, in part to the presence in Shiraz lor several months of the summer of a
special official despatched from Tehran by the Persian Government at Mr. Grant
Duff’s request to settle outosfcaadfijng British claims in southern Persia a Urge
number of such claims were saltesfiadtoSty disposed of in the course of the «_____
\?uJn °m K™s {approximately £1,300) was mriwd from or
through the Fars authorities. Of this sum about Krans 43,900 u 70) for
road robberies, Krans 2,400 (about £48) for burglaries in Shirax, v. emainder for
loans, business-debts, petty thefts, etc.
5147 F. D