Page 466 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920_Neat

42 PKRSrAN GULP ADMINISTRATION REPORT
a largo and constant supply of rupco drafts. At tho end of tho year, owing
to tho scarcity aud liigli prico of sugar and other imported articloa m tho NortlJ
of Persia local merchants began to forward large quantities of such goods to
Meshed and even to Tabriz. This gavo rise to a largo business in bills with
thoso places which fell largely to the sharo of the Bank.
Owing to tho embargo on the return of superfluous British subjects to
Kerman, no Missionaries were able to
Cbarrh Ml*»!on»ry 8ocictj.
como to Kerman aud the Missionary Hos-
pital and school remained closed.
Mr. Wotli of the Oriental Carpet Manufacturers, Limited, received
permission to como up to Korman and
Oriental Ctrpct Manufacturer*, Limited.
ho travelled up with Lieutenant Fraser's
Column to whioh he rendorod useful services as interpreter and Porsian expert,
arriving in the beginning of September. He has been chiefly occupied in
tryingto recover property stolen from tho Company aud to secure the complo.
tion of weaving contracts on which the Company had advanced money. Few
or no new orders have boon placed. Some carpets and a quantity of yarn
seized and sold by tlie Germans have been recovered and restored to tho
Company, but property of considerable value is still missing.
The Russian Acting Consul, M. Chiriaicff, returned from Bandar Abbas,
where he had spent the winter and spring,
Itaislan AfTnir*.
and reached Kerman in June. Later it was
decided to withdraw the .Russian Consul and close the Consulate, Russian
interests being intrusted to the charge of His Majesty’s Consul.
M Chiraieff left Kerman for Meshed with his escort of Cossacks in
September having made practically no pretence of handing over to His
Majesty’s Consul who was confined to bed at the time.
The withdrawal of tho Russian representative has thrown a considerable
amount of vexatious and thankless work on His Majesty's Consul. The
Russians have no subjects and practically no permanent interest in Kerman,
but they maintain a host of Persian Agents in the districts who all frequently
require hcln and protection in their prhate affairs. His Majesty's Consul
has received and attended to appeals from Russian Agents in Bam, Sirjan,
Rafsinjan (two Agents) and Anar (a family and dependants). The interest
of two Russian Agents in Yczd have also claimed attention. Many of the
appeals made are such as would not be listened to by His Majesty’s Consul
as British Consul, and some of them have been troublesome aud have con­
sumed much valuable time.
It is unnecessary to waste more time on writing about them in detail
here.
The following Foreign non-British firms have representatives at present
in Kerman :—Messrs. Tavshanjian . aud
Foreign Btulnoi* Firm.
Messrs. Ginishian, both American-
Armenian firms of New York, and Messrs. Oastelli and Kazan. A representa­
tive of Messrs. Costikyan of New York has also made his appearance, but has
failed as yet to procure instructions for His Majesty’s Consul to extend protec­
tion to him. In factf he is doing no business and is in need of no assistance.
The carpet business has for the time being been almost killed by the
war.
The hot weather was a very temperate one. In Novembor there was a
M.!ooroiogtei], ““‘IdoD burst of extremely Revere ani
wholly unseasonable cold which lasted ror
two or three weeks, when it gave way to a spell of mild weather whioh lasted till
the end of the winter season.

Kerman ; D. L. R. LORIMER, Major, I. A.,
The 3rd March 1017. Hie Majesty i Consul% Kermatu