Page 669 - PERSIAN 8 1931_1940_Neat

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Hoads and Communications.
1. Bushirc-Shiraz Road.—Gangs were occupied on repairing the road through­
out the year. It is unlikely however that the repairs will have any lasting effect.
2. Bushire-Firuzabad Road.—The Firuzabad-Bushire section of this road
is still uncompleted. From Firuzabad to Shiraz however the road is reported to
be good.
3. Bushire-Lingah Coast Road.—The road is in a bad state of repair and was
seldom used except by the Military and Civil authorities.
Land Registration.
Applications for registration were accepted from Bushire, Borazjun and
Bandar Rig. The value of property was arbitrarily assessed by Inspectors
who, in many cases, did not abide by their own valuation and either recovered
extra fees or, in consideration of bribes, reduced their original assessment.
New branches of the department are to be opened at Dijum, Daiyir, Kangan
and Tahir.
Education.
At the end of the year there were reported t.o be over 50 Elementary
and Secondary schools in Bushire and district with a total staff of 250 teachers.
The standard of education is however very low and it seems doubtful whether the
large number of children now compelled to attend classes gain any real benefit.
Health and Quarantine Department.—Dr. Faris held the post of Chief Health
and Quarantine Officer throughout the year.

During the month of March when there was a small-pox epidemic at Borazjun,
vaccination was carried out in the town and in the districts,
The Bushire Hospital maintained 20 beds for indoor patients.
Bushire Municipality.—Budget provision was made for an expenditure of
Rials 300,000 ; there was however little improvement in public services. In
October the head of the municipality was charged with accepting bribes and
brought before a tribunal specially appointed to prosecute Government officials.
It is believed that he disgorged some of his accumulated wealth and by the end
of the year the case against him appeared to have been dropped.
No new works of importance were undertaken during the year.

SECTION 4.
ARMY.

The Bushire garrison which consists of 3 Companies of Infantry and one
M. G. detachment (total strength about 500) remained under the command of
Captain Yusuf Noori till the middle of the year. Thereafter Captain Tabrasi
was :n command. It is believed that the garrison was reinforced by one field
gun and a small party of gunners about the middle of the year. The latter arc
known to have returned to Shiraz. It seems probable however that the gun is
still in Bushirc though it has never been seen.
About 1,500 new conscripts were recruited during the year, the majority being
sent to Shiraz for training. Old conscripts were also called up for short refresher
courses.
About the middle of the year it was decided to replace a number .of the long
service road guards by military conscripts, and 160 conscripts were accordingly
posted to the. Road Guards Department at Bushire. This change over seems to
have been effected in the hope that conscripts would deal more kindly with the
local peasantry whese complainls about the exactions of the long service road
guards were becoming very bitter. These hopes appear to have been unfulfilled,