Page 567 - PERSIAN 8 1931_1940_Neat

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Divisional Headquarters were moved to the now building at the end of
the Khiaban-i-Zand tho appearance of which is reported with reason to have
displeased the Shah.
The strength of tho division remained at about 6/7,000 men.
6. Communications.—The Mashiloh causeway on tho road from Shiraz
to Bushiro was completed, tho last ten miles on the Borazjun-Ahmadi section
being metalled with boulders which would tost tho clearance of a T
model Ford. Tho road was closed for several days in the winter and early
spring by heavy rain or molting snow but under normal conditions the surface
was fair to good.
Tho Kazerun-Bushire-Bchbchan road is now fully bridged between Beh-
bohan and Guch Saran (Qare-Quli) but tho section from Basht to Kazerun is
still subject to periodical wash-outs.
Tho Shiraz-Firuzabad road (tho future road to Bushire was opened in
September and improvements wero carried out on the Niriz-Sirjan section of
the Shiraz-Kerman road and also on the road from Fasa to Estahbanat.
Mails from Tehran continued to arrive very irregularly and 5 to 7 days
for a letter from Bushirc was no exception.
7. Agriculture.—Heavy rain in February amply compensated for a dry
December and grain crops in general were good. The bread queues in Shiraz
which were a feature of the early part of the year disappeared after the har­
vest.
Fruit crops on the other hand were extensively damaged by the late
frosts in May.
The area under cotton remained at approximately 26,000 hectars produc­
ing a crop of 20,000 tons, all “ Falestini ”.
Permission was given to grow rice on swampy ground but this is only
temporary as villagers will be instructed in future to grow jute.
8. Trade.—The release of such articles as gum tragacanth, skins, carpets*
almonds etc. from the stranglehold of the various monopoly companies pro­
vided a welcome fillip to the export trade. Merchants may now purchase
these articles from the companies concerned and export them in accordance
with the new regulations, whereby 50 per cent, of the proceeds of exports of
all Iranian products may be used against imports. In practice however
these arrnagements only cover about 20 per cent, of the export trade as the
remainder is with the U. S. S. R. and Germany under the Trade Agreements.
In spits of the restriction of credit by the National Bank few bankrupt­
cies occurred of any importance.
The report on progress of the Shiraz branch of the Imperial Bank of Iran
for the half year ending September 30th, 1938, showed a profit of Rials 171,721
as against Rials 152,702 for the corresponding period of last year.
British trade, apart from a few isolated consignments of machinery,
remained nil.
9. Industries.—The cotton mills of the Fars Manufacturing Company
and the Fars Electric Company continued to work satisfactorily in spite of
difficulties in obtaining their supplies of raw cotton and spare parts for their
machinery.
The sugar factory at Morv Dasht prepared for expansion next year by
purchasing additional plant and encouraging agriculturalists within a 60 km.
radius, instead of 30 km. as previously, to grow beet. Production was expec­
ted to reach 50,000 tons as against 10,000 tons in 1937.
The site for the grain silo to be erected at Shiraz by the Kampsax Consor­
tium was marked out and materials collected but no construction work
was commenced.
The Shiraz distillery, run by a Jewish company, “ Sherket-i-Kushabeh
under the control of the Finance Department obtained a monopoly for the
xftanufacture of araq, which it produced at Rials 7 • 55 a bottle.