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Sheikh Abdul Kassim Harandi, the Russian Sales Agent in Kerman, has im­
ported machinery for supplying electric light to the town and is at present busy
putting up poles and wires under the superintendence of a Russian Engineer. The
Municipality have been in negotiation with the proprietor with a view to parti­
cipating in the scheme.
Agriculture and Locusts.—An Armenian employee of the Department of Agri­
culture arrived from Tehran in August to establish a farm in Kerman. Besides
selecting an old garden, a part of an endowed property, for this purpose, nothing
was achieved till the end of the year.
M. Lois. Niquit, a foreign expert, employed by the Persian Government, arrived
in December and, after visiting the salt mines near Bam, and the forests in Narma-
shir, returned to the Capital.
The Province was free from the locust pest during the year, a single report
being received from certain villages of Narmashir of damage being caused by these
insects to the indigo crop.
Sejjil-i-Ahwaal.—Prince Murteza Mirza, Qahrmani, remained in charge of the
Census Department until the end of the year.
The Department has now established branches throughout the Province, and,
in November, a notice was published calling upon those who had not already
obtained identification papers to do the needfulimmediately as the new Law passed
by the Medjliss provided for heavy penalties in cases of default.
12. Local Politics and Press. 1931 has been uneventful in the political sense.
Notwithstanding the Shah’s disparaging remarks at the time of nis visit in re­
gard to the status of the Province, Kerman still remains an Ayalat and the districts
of Bam-Narmashir and Rafsinjan have not been separated from it.
The influence of the Mullahs has continued to wane.
During the year 1931 the Ashura (Moharram) processions were much curtailed
in the town and the districts by orders of the local authorities. There was no public
laceration of the head and at Bam a number of the mourners, who had prepared
themselves, for this ceremony, were dispersed by the Military who gallopped their
horses amongst them, as the result of which 2 or 3 people were injured.
Press.—There are nominally four papers being published in Kerman, of which
two are more or less regular. Nothing objectionable from the . point of vie\y of
British interests has appeared in the local Press and in the month of May the
editor of‘ Istiqamat ’ published a long article expressing warm appreciation of the
services rendered by Colonel Noel to tne Province.
13. Health and General Welfare.—No steps were taken to improve the sanitation
of the town and the same unhealthy practices prevalent 24 years ago still exist
today. The epidemic of mumps which had broken out at the end of 1930 lasted
till the autumn. It was followed in November by a general epidemic of influenza
which was still raging at the close of the year.
Reports of cholera declared in April last to have occurred at Rafsinjan, 3 days
march to the west, were so contradictory as to hardly justify the drastic measures
taken by the authorities. The measures taken by the local Health Department
included the cutting-off the water supplies of distant non-infected areas and the
institution of quarantine on the western side of Kerman though no suspected cases
had been reported east of Rafsinjan itself !
Dr. Mehdi Khan, Philosoph, was the Health Officer, Kerman, at the end of the
year.
14. Russian Interests.—The Soviet Consul-General at Ispahan visited Kerman
during February-March.
M. Bclooshapkin, the Soviet Trade Representative in Kerman, was relieved
in July by M. Khalatoft', and M. Matulaitis was in charge of the Soviet Trade Re­
presentation at the end of the year. During the summer Soviet trade activities
m the Province dwindled slightly but revived in the latter part of the year, as the
result of the signing of the Commercial Treaty with Persia. Their interests
extended in the direction of experimental cultivation of cotton seeds and one of their
agents, a certain Seyyid Ismail Aglia, Vakili, of Tabriz, was deputed to travel in the
districts to instruct the peasants.