Page 442 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

32 ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF TUE PERSIAN QCLF
n carpet-weaver, who was bastinadoed by the Governor. Since then, seeing
the fate of the carpet-weaver, none of the roughs of the town has raised his
head.
From the time Kawara has taken charge of the post of Governor, Kerman
has been quite quiet and peace restored in every quarter.
Baluchistan remained disaffected during the whole of the year. Several
times the Governors tried to collect revenue, but the Baluchi Sardars would
not come to terms until Wali Khan was appointed Governor of Baluchistan.
The latter led an expeditionary force through Persian Baluchistan and
managed to extort a sum of about 12,000 tomans, and remitted it to Kerman.
After Wali Khan’s return from Baluchistan, Sardars Syed Khan, Bahrain
Khan and Jihand presumably divided Baluchistan between them and con­
templated an attempt to sack Bam and Narmashir, but the threats used by
Major Ducat in a telegram to them to the effect that should they show any
kind of attempt to plunder Bara, or show any sign of movement beyond their
jurisdictions, a British force would at once be ordered from British Baluchis­
tan for their chastisement, prevented them from doing so. They replied to
the British Consul’s telegram in a friendly tone, based on loyalty to their
government.
The Kawam contemplates making a tour throughout Baluchistan
later on in order to bring the Baluchi Sardars to some understanding about
the revenue, end for this definite purpose, he has asked the Tehran authori­
ties to provide him with arms and ammunition.
Though the Sahib-i-Ikhtiar had resigned his post of Governorship, he
remained in Kerman for nearly four months endeavouring to get Kerman
merchants to give him a loan to enable him to get back to Tehran. During
this period Bashir-i-KLckan was offered the Deputy-Governorship but he re­
fused to accept, as Sahib-i-Ikhtiar intrigued against him. The town in the
meantime remained in a state of chaos, and neither bread nor sugar was
obtainable in the bazaar. Only 2 bakers’ shops were open which were sur­
rounded by crowds who swooped down on the bread like kites. The merchants
moreover took to paying the Charvadars to keep out of the town, as any loads
of sugar coming in were at once scrambled for and disappeared before the
owner could get it to his shop. In fact there was a partial famine in the
town.
M. von der Flaas, the Russian Military Attache at Seistan, having tra­
velled via. Sipeh, Fahraj and Bam, ar­
Visitors.
rived at Kerman, in April, and after put­
ting up at the Russian Consulate for a short period, left for his destination.
Mr. Pearson and his Assistant, of the Carnegie Institution of Washing­
ton, arrived here in December on his official tour throughout Persia and,
having put, up at the British Consulate for over a month, left for Karachi
via Bara.
Postal management remained much the same as reported last year until
towards the end, when a Postmaster,
Post.
trained on the English system, was de­
tailed for Kerman. Since his arrival postal arrangements have boen better:
robberies of posts, however, have not been an unusual occurrence.
Some improvements have lately been made in the Telegraph Department
including the addition of new Telegraph
Telegraphs.
and Telephone stations at Kamalabad,
Mehdiabad and Tehrud, but the direct line from Kerman to Bandar Abbas,
which is very much needed, is still lacking.
Since the arrival of the Kawam, all the roads have been cleared of the
robbers who constantly infested them,
Roads.
and, although some promiscuous rob­
beries are still reported from the more remote districts, nevertheless caravans
are going and coming through safely on the whole.
The Kerman Branch of the Imperial Bank of Persia has shifted into its
R.nV newly built quarters in the town. On
account of the local demand for the new
coins, they bad to get specie twice during the year under review, once under