Page 494 - PERSIAN 8 1931_1940_Neat

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CHAPTER III.

SUMMARY OF EVENTS AND CONDITIONS IN FARS DURING THE
YEAR 1937.
1. General situation.—The outstanding events of the year have been the
visit of the Shah to Shiraz ; the abrupt departure and downhill of the Gover­
nor General and the subsequent change of most of the Provincial officials;
the arrest of the General Officer Commanding the Fars Division and of many
officers and other persons who had dealing with him ; unrest in tribal areas;
serious drought and partial failure of the crops ; falling off of trade through
dislocation of the market for exports and lack of foreign exchange to pay for
imports; and finally the disappearance of Fars as a separate administrative
unit.
2. The population of Shiraz is said to be about 120,000, including the
military garrison of 7,000. A further force of at least 3,000 is on detachment
in the Province or in districts bordering on it. The total population of Fars
is in the neighbourhood of 400,000, o? whom less than half arc settled in
towns and villages. During the past few years it is believed that from 60,000
to 80,000 tribesmen have left the country to avoid conscription and forced
settlement.
3. In the early part of the year employment was found in Shiraz on
finishing the barracks and on preparations for the Shah’s visit. The spinning
and hand-weaving establishments absorbed a few hundreds, mostly of women
and children, while the men were engaged on work in the cotton and beet
fields. There has also been a steady movement to other towns, notably
Isfahan and Abadan, where work is more plentiful and wages higher. The
maximum wage earned in the Shiraz spinning mills is 3 rials per day.
4. Preparations for the visit of His Majesty the Shah included the patch­
ing of roads, whitewashing buildings, and enclosing all empty spaces on his
route with walls. The# troops and the school children were drilled day and
night and all stray dogs were destroyed. Large funds were collected under
pressure from the Governor General and a sum of over a thousand pounds
was said to have been required for the erection of thirty arches and pergolas.
Most of these were demolished with pickaxe and hammer as soon as they were
up, on instructions from Tehran, as the visit was to take place in Muharrera.
Expensive gold oranaments were also subscribed for by the women of Shiraz
and by the industrial companies. An armed police force from the Capital
took charge of the town and spies mingled with the people. In short, much
was done in advance to render the visit unpalatable and little during its pro­
gress to make it agreeable to the inhabitants.
5. His Majesty arrived on March 27 and left on March 30. On arrival
he inspected some of the assembled School children and he praised the ap­
pearance of a contingent from Miss Gerrard’s Girls’ School. There is no
record of much else having given satisfaction. He visited nothing but the
barracks and an industrial exhibition, but was pleased with neither. The
Valiahd, who accompanied his father, was not permitted to deputise for him
and few persons were received by the Shah or by any of his suite. This
complete aloofness was taken to indicate displeasure with Shiraz and a deli­
berate intention to show it. Possible causes for this were the petitions present­
ed, urging modifications of the Government’s economic policy, the failure
of the industrial community to extend their activities, the complaints received
about the cost of living, and the uncompleted state of the barracks.
6. The visit can have done nothing to increase the popularity of the
Shah or of his regime. No opportunity was taken of showing the Valiahd
to the people nor of letting him see anything of value to himself. His Majesty’s
suite included the Qawam ul Mulk, formerly owner of a large part of the town
and district and Tribal Governor, and the Amir Chcvkct ul Mulk, formerly
hereditary Governor of Kain and Birjand, who has since been appointed

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