Page 559 - PERSIAN 8 1931_1940_Neat

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drop mails but were unable to take any up. During these wcoks Air Mail
letters for Europe wero sent to Basrah by mail steamers where an arrange­
ment was supposed to bo mado for their re-posting by Imperial Airways.
Road.—Tho Bushirc-Shiraz road was passable for lorries and other motor
vehicles during tho groatcr part of tho year. It was washed out for some days
by heavy rain during Docember. Tho projected road Shiraz-Firuzabad-
Bushiro is said to bo progressing. Average transport rates during the year
have boon as follows :—
Lorry to Shiraz . . Riuls 48$ per Kharwar of 655 lbs.
Lorry to Isfahan . ,, 133 „ 99 99
Lorry to Tehran 197 „ 99 99
Owners of lorries have not done too well during the year since the amount
of goods for transport has decreased while the expenses for maintenance and
payment of instalments, otc., remain tho same. Usually the only freight
they could obtain consisted of monopoly goods and Anglo-Iranian Oil
Company’s products.
6. Social.—Living conditions in Bushiro have in no way improved during
tho year under review. The local taxes are very heavy. Numbers of shops
in the bazaar have been closed owing to tho great difficulty of obtaining goods
for sale. The few shops still open sell mostly a very inferior class of goods,
bought and brought from Tehran.
The cost of living varied considerably during the year as will be seen by
a reference to the following table :—
Commodities. Cost in February 1938 Cost in June 1038
Flour Rials. 4-00 . Rials 3-50 per man of 7*75 lbs.
Tea . „ 20-00 . „ 22-00 per 500 grammes.
Meat „ 8-00 . „ 9-00 per man of 7-75 lbs.
Ghee „ 38-00 . „ 34-50 „ „ ,, 99
Tomatoes . „ 4-10 . ii 4-50 ,, ,, ,, 99
Potatoes „ 4-00 . .. 4-00 „ „
Shiraz rico „ 8-25 . „ 10-00 „ „ 99
Bread (local) „ 4-50 . ,i 3-50 ,, ,, „ 99 99
Bread loaf „ 2-50 . „ 3*00 „ ,, ,, 99
Water „ 1-25 . „ 1-50 per skin load.
It is moreover to be noted that the flour and bread mentioned are of the
most inforior quality.
All the municipal taxes mentioned last year are still levied and a further
tax of 3 per cent, ad-valorem on goods imported into the town was imposed.
Tho system in voguo is that the goods arriving are valued at a Police post
about 8 miles above Bushire. One or two packages from the consignment
are then taken by the Finance Department agent and held up at the post
until the merchant concerned pays the tax levied and sends a lorry again
to bring the remaining goods into town.
The wages paid to local labourers have improved somewhat since there
has been a fairly steady demand both at the Etimadieh Mill and for construc­
tion work at tho Military barracks. The rates paid are as follows :—
Customs coolie . . Rials 3-00
Labourer . 99 4-50
Cotton operator 99 2-50 to 6-00
Skilled builder . 99 12-00 to 15-00
Semi-skilled builder ii 7-00
Carpenter „ 12-00 to 15-00
Builders' Foreman 30-00
ii
The population seoms about the same as last year.
Smuggling or piocegoods and sugar has greatly decreased since these
goods are now being sold at reasonable prices by the Government Monopoly
departments. But the smuggling of almost everything else, artificial silks
foot-ware, perfumery, etc., still continues. 9

R- S. T. JOHN,
His Majesty's Vice-Consul.
23(S; EAD