Page 670 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

POLITICAL RESIDENCY FOR 1911.
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Tho death roll was heavy for so small a colony.
Dr. W. F. Kay of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company died of cholera at
Deaths. Alnvaz in January 1911.
Mr. N. Ramsay, General Works Manager at Abadan, was invalided on
tho 10th June owing to tuberculosis and died on his way home.
Mine. Pctrcz, wife of Monsieur Pctrcz, a Belgian Engineer in the cm-
ploy of the Persian Government, died of cholera on the 29th August.
Mr. F. J. Woolford, an employd of Messrs. Thorncycroft & Co., died of
cholera on the 28th August in the “ Anatolis ” while lying at Mohammcrah.
Mr. F. Anderson, a Swede, one of the crew of the S. S. “ Griqua *' at
Abadan, died of cholera at Mohammcrah at the end of September.
Mr. II. J. Lyle of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company was scut to Karachi
and died in hospital after being treated internally.
Captain Boty, formerly a Belgian officer of the Persian Navy, died at
Ahwaz.
Mirza Hamza, the Shaikh’s trusted Basrah Agent, who represented the
Shaikh as Chief of the Muhaisin tribe and who was the husband of the
Shaikhs sister-in-law, died at Bombay while on a visit.
The quarantine control was in the hands of Assistant Surgeon G. C.
Rehling until 24th August when Assist­
Quarantine.
ant Surgeon C. II. Lincoln, formerly
stationed at Bandar Abbas, arrived and took over the duties of the post.
Mr. Rchling was temporarily transferred to Ahwaz from 6th September to
13th December.
Affairs ran without friction throughout the year.
It has been determined, after reference to the Chief Quarantine Medical
Officer, that two quarantine guards shall be stationed at the Abadan Oil
Refinery to enable tankers to fill while still in quarantine.
As the Customs, as noted, already have a surveillance post at Abadan
there will be no trouble under this head.
Monsieur George Delcroix officiated as Provincial Director of Customs
until the first week of May when Mon­
Customs.
sieur Zwinne returned from leave.
Monsieur Zwinne before his departure had, as noted in my predecessor’s
report, made himself very unpopular by the strictness with which he had
interpreted his regulations, and as a result, when it became known that he
was to be again nominated to the post, a movement originated with the object
of preventing his return. The Shaikh telegraphed to Tehran opposing the
appointment and the merchants in the bazaar refused to take delivery or any
goods while there was any possibility of the nomination being persisted in.
His Majesty’s Consulate supported this movement by informing the Minister
in Tehran of the complaints against Monsieur Zwinne and acting as an inter­
mediary for the Shaikh. This action was taken not in any way against
Monsieur Zwinne, who, though unpopular, had kept on good terms with His
Majesty’s representative, but owing to the fact that there seemed to be a
tendency, in fact a very strong tendency, to regard as negligible the rights
of the Shaikh under his firman as Director-General of Customs to approve
of all such employ6s before their final appointment.
Owing to the representation of the Minister and the action of the Shaikh
and merchants, Monsieur Zwinne was finally transferred temporarily to
Bandar Abbas and Monsieur Delcroix confirmed at Mohammerah.
At the end of 1910 the question arose of the appointment of a Belgian
official to the Customs at Nasiri to which the Shaikh was greatly opposed,
urging that it was against the terms of his firman, and would upset,,?
'Arabs, while it in no way benefited him, the fact being that the goods handle
were in transit to Tehran and Ispahan, a source of increased expenditure ana
responsibility to himself. The good offices of His Majesty’s Legation were
accorded and the matter eventually arranged on the understanding that an
allowance of 250 Tomans per mensem should be granted to the Shaikh.