Page 25 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

RESIDENCY POE THE YEAR 1W5-1908. 15

I.—bushire and pars administration report,
Chatter
1905-1900.
Monsieur J. Heynssens who was mentioned in the last report as haying Cuotomj*n4
relieved Monsieur Waffelaert on transfer0omm9 ®-
Customs Administration.
from the Caspian two or three dayo before
the close of the year remained as Director-General of the South throughout the
present 12 months, and to the European mercantile community at any rateh&a
proved a reasonable and business-like Director. His transfer fromEnzeli is said
to have been a source of much gratification to the Russian Consulate to whom he
had given a good deal of trouble, having gradually become de Jacto Governor
of the port; and having, as he said, left the Enzeli customs in a high state of
efficiency, he arrived with somewhat oversanguine ideas of his ability to
cleanse the Augean stable at Bushire ; but was to some extent doomed to
disappointment. His advent took place at a difficult juncture, when the
oppressive effect of the Bfeglement Douanier issued in September 1904 and
enforced with some strictness, had generated much irritation and discontent
in mercantile circles. He was at first inclined to pursue even more hard and
fast lines than his predecessor and his action under certain provisions of the
Rfcglement, especially article 15 under which he insisted on consignees
declaring their goods in person and imposed fines in the case of the slightest
discrepancy between invoices and verified contents, caused much high feeling,
ultimately resulting in the refusal both of Persian and European merchants to
clear their goods from the Custom House pending the ventilation of their
grievances/ The native community went so far as to telegraph appeals to His
Majesty the Shah and the Prime Minister and at the same time endeavoured
to get the support of their comrades in Ispahan, Shiraz and Yezd.
Not only did a great congestion of merchandise on the limited customs
premises inevitably ensue, but orders were countermanded by importers and
consignments diverted elsewhere to such an extent that in April and May
trade at Bushire was practically at a stand still.
On learning what the position was, the Tehran Authorities telegraphed
to His Excellency the Derya Begi at the besinning of June and called upon
him to co-operate with the Director-General of Customs in making such con­
cessions as would induce the merchants to clear their goods. This after some
persuasion, the latter undertook to do, on the understanding that pending full
investigation of their grievances tue usages previously holding would be
reverted to.
Meanwhile all the European firms, British and Foreign, had jointly
framed and presented to their respective Consuls identical memoranda of their
grievances under several heads of the Rfcglement, and the Director-General,
who had already shown a disposition to remedy the reasonable complaints of
the community as far as ho could, received instructions from Tehran to
discuss their difficulties with them with a view to ascertaining how far they
could be ameliorated locally and which items required the orders of the
Central Government.
Monsieur Hcynssens in a memorandum dated 2nd August 1905 responded
to the merchants’ representations in a way which removed many of their chief
grievances; and the result was that in spite of frequent reminders from Hia
Majesty’s Vice-Consul they would not bestir themselves to meet again in order
to frame a reply to Monsienr Heynsscns* memorandum. That was the position
at the end of the year and warranted the presumption, which is believed to be
'a fact, that they have since been treated with reasonable consideration, and
now have much loss cause for discontent.
On the whole, during the 12 months under report the Residency baa
enjoyed a welcome period of rest from those difficulties with the custom*
whioh wore formerly so frequent. It is to be feared, however, that Monsieur
Heynsfeens* methods with the native merchants and coasting traders have been
too direct and inelastic to please them, and with the native public, who