Page 14 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920

4 PERSIAN GULP ADMINISTRATION REPORT
Russian G&vemment was inclined to be dissatisfied at the arrangement, on the
ground that it would accelerate the construction of the railway.
No active step3 were taken by the Russian Government to obtain a con­
cession for a Ehanikin-Tehran line, pursuant to the arrangement come to with
Germany at the •* Potsdam interview ” of the previous year.
This project continued to be the subject of active discussion, and several
TnDft*For*um R*iiw«y officers of the Government of India were
engaged during the year in surveying
various possible alignments within the British rone.
Up to the end of the year His Majesty’s Government had not made known
its final attitude to the project, but the trend of official opinion was decidedly
opposed- to it on strategical and general grounds, whilst as a commercial
proposition, further expert investigation has tended to indicate that it is likely
to prove, on the whole, unattractive.
The Perdan Railways Syndicate renewed its application to the Persian
Government for a concession for this line
Hoh&mmor&b-Hhonraimabad Railway.
and in doing so received the strong sup-
port of His Majesty’s Government.
The Syndicate were informed in April that the Government of India and
the Board of Trade were disposed to doubt the likelihood of a Mohammerah-
Khoremmabnd line being commercially successful, whilst recognizing that the
suggested Maiammerah-Dizful line would probably be less unremunerative.
The Syndicate on the other hand expressed tne opinion that there was practi­
cally no douwt that, of all the proposed railways running from the south of
Persia northwards, this railway was by far the most attractive and the most
likely to prove a commercial success, even if only carried to Khorcmmabad but
that, if carried further north to Hamadan, its success would, in their opinion,
be undoubted ; whilst they regarded any idea of this railway stopping at Dizful
with great disfavour.
Negotiations for a concession were actively proceeding at the end of the year.
No progress was made by the Persian Railways Syndicate with negotiations
for lines other than the Mohammerah-
Riilwar* in Fars.
Khoremmabad project His Majesty’s Go­
vernment have expressed to the Russian Government their villingnesstodiscuss
with them railway concessions in the neutral zone, but not to claim their con­
cent to such lines as a matter of right until the Trans-Persian Railway shall have
proceeded beyond the Russian sphere. At the same time, the Societo d’6tudes,
for the Trans-Persian Railway project, was informed that, whilst His Majesty’s
Government undertook (subject to certain reservations) to support them in
securing an option for the main line of the Trans-Persian Railway, on the
understanding that it should not be exercised outside the Russian sphere until
His Majesty’s Government deemed it politic and feasible, they were unable to
support an application even for a branch line outside that sphere.
The Government of India expressed the opinion that the investigations and
reports of Messrs. Chick and TTilson established claims to a careful consideration
of a Eushire-Shiraz-Ispahan line and recommended its inclusion in the list of
lines for which options or concessions were being asked; it is understood, however,
that up to the end of the year the Persian Railways Syndicate had confined their
present demand to the Mohammerah-Khoremmabad concession, the other lines
mentioned in the draft concessions being omitted.
Early in the year the Secretary of State sanctioned the establishment of
permanent radio-telegraph stations on the
Wire law mstalUtion.
Marconi system at Bushire, Henjam,
Bahrain, Kuwait and Debai or Zora, as well as the erection, when required, of
portable station at Lingah ; pending the preparation of detailed estimates and
their deliberate consideration, no steps were taken to erect any of the stations.
It was decided that it was unnecessary to make any communication on the
subject to the Persian Government.
The installation at Jask, and the temporary installation at Resbire conti­
nued to work satisfactorily throughout the year.