Page 253 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

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AND THE MASK AT POLITICAL AGENCY FOR THE YEAR 1907 1000. 60
Kudbnr lias been upside down throughout the year. The Governor who
was there was chased out and the man who succeeded him has been a non­
entity when there and has not been there for the greater part of the time. In
the meantime the Khans of Itudhar has been raiding into Fa is and the Arabs
and Baharloos counter-raiding into ltudbar and parts of Jiruft and the villages
are almost all deserted.
liafsinjan and Zarand have boon no bettor off. The Farsis aided and
directed by the Buchagohis have looted all along their borders and the Kerma-
nis there are too weak to counter-raid or protect thomselves. The Governor of
Sirjan managed to shoot the chief of the Buchagchis during a Muharram
service, but has only succeeded in starting a blood-feud between himself and
the tribe.
Bands of robbers have sprung up on every road and the posts have been
robbed over and over again. Caravans have practically stopped moving except
in bodies of several hundreds. The usual rice caravan from Shiraz arrived in
Kerman escorted by 500 men, 300 of them armed with Martini rifles.
The Kerman district on the whole has been, like the rest of Persia, in a
state of anarchy and there does not seem to be much prospect of any tiling
more than a slight improvement until the central government in Tehran really
take a grasp of tilings.
Under the circumstances it is not surprising that the postal service has been posts,
irregular and more than usually uncertain. Parcels unless insured have no
chance of escaping robbery either in the post or outside and even when insured
they are not much more successful in getting through. Letters and papers
mostly come through some time but quite promiscuously and very ofton open.
There are no roads in the district and the apologies for them have been Communications,
almost unused during the year, except the short track between Kerman and
Yezd. No caravan left Bunder Abbas for Kerman from May to the end of
December. The robbers have been in possession of all the tracks and donkeys
and camels have been carried off within 3 miles of Kerman itself.
The telegraph office in Kerman has become the transmitting station on the Telegraphs,
main Indo-European route since the linking up of the line through Panjgur.
The European staff has been considerably increased and now consists of an Assist­
ant Superintendent, clerk in charge, two signallers and an Inspector of the Divi­
sion. The much-needed line to Bunder Abbas has not yet boen constructed.
The Imperial Bank of Persia's branch here is flourishing under the able Bank,
management of Mr. Simpson and has now got a European accountant.
Air. Simpson has succeeded in purchasing an excellent site abutting on the
main bazar and is building new premises on it, the completion of which should
largely increase the Bank’s business.
The Church Missionary Society hospital has continued to work hut its Missionaries,
management is unfortunately neither judicious nor popular and in place of being
a help to my work has become a source of anxiety. I hope to effect a change
in this matter. The other side of the Mission is more popular and if the school
is not yet a large one, I think it is making as much progress as can be expected.
Trade is dealt with in a separate report and I need here only say that in Trade,
spite of all the difficulties the figures show an increase of some five lakhs of
rupees on last year.
Tlie climate both in the summer and in the winter was milder than usual. Climate.
There was very little snow in Kerman itself and the hills round,which usually
have snow ou them till June and July, will have none by the middle of May.
The rain was very lato in commencing and very scanty till just the end of
the year, siuce when it lias improved and promises now to continue later than
usual and the prospects of the harvest are now good.
The year under report has boen politically full of incident and the want of
any competent authority has made the work very anxious and difficult. In a
slioyt time now, however, we shall have a capable and experienced Governor
again at the head of affairs and I hope the coming year will be less full of
mcidcut and more free from anxiety.
C. DUCAT,
Eis Britannic Majesty's Consul, Kerman.