Page 187 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920_Neat

FOB THE TEAR 1913; 47
* rr day* ra^ appears to have been carried out with moro than ordinary
brutality: harmless villagers were maltreated, and tlioic houses wantonly burnt,
nd ma-ny stories were current of cruelty towards women Daring the summer
?hc JCawam-ul-Mulk at longth took vigorous action against tho tribes inhabit-
: (f South Eastern Pars: the effect of this was soon felt in tho Bandar Abbas
district, which had for several years been harried by these tribes during their
rincr and autumn migrations. Bor the first time for three years, the district
■P
*asnot raided by them during the autumn, and in a second expedition in
November. the Kawain-ul-Mulk finally compelled tho Baharlus to tender
tbeir submission to him. Shortly after tho* close of the year news was received
duit he had defeated a Baharlu force near Lar and had succeeded in entering
jjjC town, and that Saiyid Abdul Hussain, who had virtually ruled Laristan
sinCc the beginning of the Nationalist movement, had taken to flight. Lar
has beon the focus of unrest of this portion of the Shah’s dominions for
several years past; the Central Government have not succeeded in maintaining
a vestige of authority in that district, and all the turbulent elements of
the community have congregated there; it has beon a haven of refuge for
impecunious debtors who were unwilling or unable to meet their liabilities, and
no revenue has been collected in the district for four or fivo years. The virtual
ruler of the district lms been Saiyid Abdul Hussain, a person who came into
prominence at tho time of the Nationalist revolution, and appears to have
been opposed alike to Nationalists and Constitutionalists. Among other things
he issued his own stamps, and for about a year these were to be fouud affixed
to letters coming from Lar. It has beon evident, however, that a numerous
section of the population have wearied recently of the Saiyid’s rule, and
internecine feuds have broken out among them: tho advent of the Kawam,
therefore, will certainly be welcomed by many of the iuliabitauts and, should
he succeed in finally establishing his authority over the turbulent nomad
tribes of Laristan, much will have been accomplished towards the restoration
of order in South Eastern Persia.
The British Indian community in Bandar Abbas have had, on the whole,
a very prosperous year, They have
British Interests.
despatched large quantities of goods to i
the interior, and all their consignments have reached their distination safely,
The Deputy-Governor has at all times lent a ready car to their complaints,
and lias succeeded in recovering several lon^-outstanding debts. They arc,
however, a difficult community to assist, consisting as they do mainly of small
agents of Shikarpur firms: the principals of these firms never visit Bandar
Abbas, and everything is left to the agents, -who receive either a salary or a
small share of the profits. These agents are not unfrequcntly unreasonable
in their demands, or even when they have a strong case endeavour to streng­
then it by the most wild and exaggerated assertions: also they are generally
split into several factions. A redeeming feature, however, is that, with their
departure from India they seem to throw off their natural propensity for
litigation. They realise that it is preferable under the conditions existing
hero to endeavour to offect a settlement of a dispute in an informal manner
rather than to file a formal suit, and the judicial powers with which
His Majesty’s Consul is invested are never exercised. The Steamship Com­
panies also being represented solely by native agents, farther complicates
batters, since they have no power to settle claims, etc, themselves and
tbeir representations do not appear to carry the same weight at the head
offices as they would if they were put forward by a European representative. I
The constant changes among the Directors of Customs further militate against
*oy serious attempt to improve tho extremely primitive customs arrangements.
The chief requirements of tho Port in the interests of British trade are
holographic communication with the interior, of Persia and India instead
°f the high cable rates in force at present: improvements in tho Customs
Promises and arrangements, and tho representation of the British India Steam
Navigation Company by a European.
The British India Steam Navigation Company roverted to a weekly mail
sorvico each way at the beginning of the year, ana tho Port is now well served
"ith a mail up and a mail down each week.