Page 706 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920_Neat

50 ANNUAL IJETORT ON TUB PERSIAN GULF POLITICAL BE8IDBNCT.

CHAPTER VIII.
DIZFUL AND SHUSHTAR—ADMINISTRATION REPORT
FOR THE YEAR 1919.
Political.
(«)• Personnel.—Cnptain Thompson Glover retained charge of the Political
Office, Dizful, till February, giving place in that month to Major Napier
•who was succeeded, after a period of ono month, by Captain Geard who for throe
weeks held simultaneous charge of Dizful and Shushtar. Major Meade reported
for duty on March 23rd, Captain Geard reverting' to the charge of Shustar.
On May 23rd, Major Meade assumed additional charge of Shushtar vice
Captain Geard transferred.
(5) Persian Officials.—His Excellency Viqar-ul-Mulk, who was re-visiting
Arabistan in a GOVornatorial capacity for the fifth time, found that province
no more to his liking than on previous occasions and took the opportunity
of the elections to propose himself as a fitting candidate for the Majlis. A6,
regrettably, it was illegal for him to act in a dual capacity as Governor-General
and elected member he had, perforce, to resign his post and offer himself for
election Dizful, for which constituency he proposed to stand, was in no
way anxious to choose him as its representative, but his election was accomplish­
ed not without recourse to methods that would have brought a blush to the
cheeks of all Eatonsrille. Fortunately for Yiqar an interregnum of some
kind was desirable from a Political point of view in order that we might have
n freer hand in bringing about certain reforms in tho Revenue Department.
He was succeeded as Kafil by Mirza Abdullah Mustaufi, who had bitheito
acted as Deputy Governor of Shuslitar. Mustaufi’s reign has been characteris­
ed by many abortive attempts to enrich himself at the expenso of the Persian
Government but his diplomacy is of a childish order and, on the whole, he
has served our purpose well although I would feel inclined to reg.~> rd the
cuccess of the Revenue reforms more to his ineffective resistance than to his
active assistance. The Deputy Governor for Dizful arrived at the end of
April. At a preliminary meeting with him and Yiqar-ul-Mulk at Shushtar,
it was agreed that he should not be accompanied to Dizful, as was Yiqar’s
original desire, by a new Head of Police and a new Rais of Adiiyeh. Contrary
to this agreement, however, these two officials accompanied Samsal-ul-Mamalik
to Dizful, the new Chief of Police attempting to take over control of the
Dizful Police even before actually entering the town. I represented to Viqar
that this was contrary to our agreement hut it was not without considerable
difficulty that he was induced to asree to the appointment of his singularly
ineffective nominee as Rais of Balcdiyah. This man, Haji Gbaf or by name,
had been in the past a brothel keeper in-Dizful and was also, in his spare
time, Colonel Commanding tho Persian Artillery. His end was tragic as he
was shot in the back by his servant or by the individual who was euphemis­
tically termed his servant.
Sam gam has a pleasing personality and has been quite content to : sit
still and watch the work of government going on. He realises that he depends
entirely for the punctual payment of bis salary on the Political Office and
shapes hia life accordingly.
Our relations have been of the pleasantest
(c) Tribal.—The year under report has been uneventful. The transfer
of certain tribes to the Sbeikh of Mohammerali was accomplished early
Hay and although minor incidents have marked tho absence of direct Political
control, the results has been of an ephemeral nature. Sartip Khan, on
whom was bestowed the honour of a Khan Dahaduri early in the year, continues
to give the modified satisfaction, that is all that can be expected from a Lur
bound by ties of marriage and cousinship to tribes of Luristan between whom