Page 53 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920

FOR TIIE YEAR 1012. 4:3

CHAPTER III.
ADMINISTRATION REPORT EOR THE BANDAR ABBAS VICE-
CONSULATE EOR THE YEAR 1912.
The year under review falls naturally into two portions : during the first
General. s*x months trade was almost at a standstill.
Merchandise was accumulating at the port
without it being possible to send it up to the interior, and so bad did things
become that several British Indian firms were temporarily in serious financial
straits. During the same period a difficult political situation was created
by the action of the Local Director of Customs which resulted in the bazaars
being closed for about three weeks, and the Deputy Governor and leading
members of the Persian mercantile community taking “bast” at the Consulate
as a protest against his action. In the midst of this a large band of raiders
entered the district and approached within two miles of the town : H. M. S.
“ Perseus ” and “ Alert” arrived and troops were disembarked for the defence
of the town, but the local authorities ultimately succeeded in dealing with the
situation.
The second half of the year was almost as uneventful as the first had been
eventful.
At the end of August a party of about 50 armed horsemen entered the
district and robbed some unfortunate Parsee British subjects who were tempo­
rarily residing outside the town, but with this exception nothing that merits to
be chronicled occurred during this six months, though indeed in the present
state of Persia such a condition of affairs is perhaps more remarkable than the
reverse would have been. Prom November onwards numerous caravans arrived
from Kerman, and by the end of the year a large quantity of merchandise had
been transported with security to the interior, and the congestion which had
previously existed had been almost entirely removed.
Captain H. V. Biscoe held charge of
Vice-Consulate.
the Vice-Consulate throughout the year.
Mirza Muhammad Ali, Sadid-i-Sultaneh continued to represent Russian
interests here in the capacity of Consular
Foreign Representatives.
Agent: the post however is purely
honorary, there being neither pay nor work attached to it.
Mullah Abdur Rahman, Misbali-i-Diwan, held the appointment of Deputy
Governor up to 20th April when he was
Local Government. dismissed under circumstances which will
be chronicled under another head. He was succeeded by Ali Karam Khan who
subsequently assumed the title of Shuja-i-Nizam and retained the appointment
till the close of the year. He is entirely illiterate, and during his first few
months of office was weak and apathetic, at any rate where British subjects
were concerned. On the return of His Majesty’s Consul from Karachi
however he appears to have received a hint from Bushire to change his
attitude, and ho has since proved himself a fairly capable and satisfactory
incumbent.
Saiyid Husein, Hassam-e-Saadat, retained the appointment of Karguzar of
Bandar Abbas and Lingah throughout the year.
There was no permanent Deputy Governor of Minab up to the month of
June, various incompetent nominees of the Deputy Governor of Bandar Abbas
being from time to time appointed. The post is of some importance from the
point of view of local British interests as many Hindu firms have extensive
dealings with the inhabitants of Minab and finance the harvest there, and many
claims are always outstanding in this connection. As a result therefore of
representations by His Majesty’s Consul, Korbolai, Muhammad Hassan was
appointed Deputy Governor of that district in June, and remained there up to
the end of the year. He is a relative of Khan Bahadur Agha Badr of Lingah
Q