Page 547 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

POLITICAL RESIDENCY FOR 1910. 61

A claim for articles stolen from Ilis Majesty's Consul, while on tour, at
Sarkhun, aggregating 240 krans, remained unsettled, owing to the non-receipt
of answers to letters addressed to the Bakhtiari Chiefs on the subject, and
their non-arrival in the Low Country prior to the close of the year.
A claim of some 6,000 krans exists for articles stolen from the Anglo-
Persian Oil Company at Darra Khazineh, but this having been dealt with by
the Moharamerah Consulate, further mention is unnecessary here except that
the sum in toto was recovered by His Majesty’s Consul, Ahwaz, in February
1911.
British Interests.
Lynch Road.—Early in January a case occurred in connection with the
Lynch road, which gave a great deal of
Messrs. Lynch Brothora.
trouble.
In January, on the arrival of a specie caravan belonging to Messrs. Lynch
Brothers, in Malamir the Acting Ilkhani and Acting Ilbegi, namely, Yussuf
Khan, Amir-i-Mujahid and Lutf AH Khan, Amir-i-Muffakham, distrained
on two boxes of specie (value 30,000 krans) on the pretext that they were
entitled to remuneration for the protection of specie caravans. They main­
tained that the matter had been discussed the previous year with Messrs.
Lynch Brothers’ Ispahan Agent, one Mirza Fazlullah Khan, who had offered
them 3 per cent., whereas they claimed 5 per cent, and that, no arrangement
having been come to, they had taken their present action. The occurrence was
reported to His Majesty’s Minister, Tehran, by whom representations were
made to the Sardar Assad, who at that time was Minister of the Interior.
The Sardar Assad sent telegraphic orders to the Acting Chiefs to despatch
the specie at once to Tehran, which orders, however, the Acting Chiefs sted-
fastly refused to comply with. At the same time the Minister of Interior
attempted to repudiate all responsibility for the safety of specie caravans.
In view of this repudiation of responsibility Messrs. Lynch Brothers’ Tehran
Agent advised Messrs. Lynch Brothers* Ahwaz Agent to discontinue forward-
ment for the present, and the onus of responsibility was.shifted on to the
Persian Government. Negotiations were opened in Tehran between the
Bakhtiari Chiefs and Messrs. Lynch Brothers’ Agent, with the result that the
Chiefs undertook responsibility for two specie forwardments. The Acting
Chiefs were notified regarding the intention of Messrs. Lynch Brothers
Ahwaz to despatch the first of these, and were asked if their guards were
ready, to which they replied in the affirmative. On the arrival however of the
specie caravan in Ram Hormuz, where the Acting Chiefs then were, they re­
fused to supply guards and delayed the forwardment, pending our accession
to their demand of 5 per cent, protection money. It being now May and the
Acting Chiefs on the point of leaving for the High Country, His Majesty's
Consul thought it advisable that the Minister of Interior should be pressed to
order the Acting Chiefs to take up the delayed specie with them, which, if
delayed in the Low Country, and the Acting Chiefs gone, would in all prob­
ability have been delayed indefinitely. The requisite orders were sent and
the Acting Chiefs compelled to lake the delayed specie with them.
Since then Messrs. Lynch Brothers* Tehran Agent has been negotiating
with the Chiefs on the question of specie forwardments, but up to the end of
the year no arrangement arrived at.
Godar Bridge.—Little or no progress has been made during the year
under report in the negotiations proceeding between Messrs. Lynch Brothers’
Tehran Agent and the Bakhtiari Chiefs with regard to the very necessary re­
pairs to the Godar Bridge, etc., the two parties having reached an im­
passe over the question of the amount to be paid for same, Messrs. Lynch
Brothers naming 60,000 krans, while the Chiefs refuse to pay more than
40,000 krans.
S. S. Skushan.—Has been running on the Upper Karun during the total
period under report having made 44 voyages, and has been doing well both in
c^rgo and passengers.
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