Page 104 - 5 Persian Trade rep BUSHIRE I_Neat

4 BUSlflBE.

Thus for very many years the centres of Bushire, Shiraz and
Isfahan have been commercially interdependant, and any great
hindrance or fillip to trade in the interior cities is bound to have
a corresponding adverse or favourable effect at Busliirc, the more
so as amongst Persian merchants especially there exists a com-
plicated system of miming credits, sales on commission and pay­
ment of merchandise by consignments of produce. When, there­
fore, early in April, 1007, the inhabitants of Shiraz became divided
into two hostile factions the disorganisation of trade in that city
soon threw merchants in Bushire into embarrassment as to the
disposal of imports on the market or of those already ordered.
The frequent changes in the Govcrnor-Gcneralsliip of Fars aggra­
vated the unsettled state of the country and its business. Not only
did looting and lawlessness prevail amongst the tribes outside, but
there was a certain amount of bloodshed in tbe town of Shiraz.
It is not hard to sec that trade must have been put to considerable
inconvenience, and according to inquiries made in Shiraz between
the beginning of 11J07 and the middle of 1903 the bazaars were
entirely closed for 28 days (exclusive of festivals) and partially 60
for 153 days. Nor was the condition of the caravan route much
better. Fighting between the different tribes and eliieftaius on
the road between Kazerun and the coast and Kazenm and Shiraz
frequently made portions of the road impassable, especially in May,
1907, and January, 1908. Moreover, the post between Bushire
and Shiraz was robbed or tampered with repeatedly, and in January
three posts up and down country had to be detained for a fortnight
owing to danger. There were also numerous thefts of merchandise.
(ii) The districts immediately behind Bushire and along the
littoral were less disturbed perhaps than the rest of Fars, but owing
to the increased independance of local chiefs and the diminished
power of the provincial governments, native traders hesitated to
send out goods into these districts. One source of trouble, referred
to in last year’s report, was, however, revived and caused much
annoyance to forwarding agents. The agitation in favour of the
alternative route to Shiraz by transhipment from Bushire to Shief,
which had been started in January, 1907, and was quashed in May
after a good deal of trouble, began again in March, 1908. The
adoption of the Shief route means that all goods have to be reshipped
9 miles by sailing boat and exposed to the sharp squalls that some­
times prevail; they arc then placed on a beach and left in the care
of a local chief until loaded up by muleteers. Forwarding agents,
however, are absolutely opposed to the use of the route, inasmuch as
there is considerable danger of pilferage, of long delay of goods
exposed to all weathers, besides the facts that the use of the road
is chiefly desired by those traders who take advantage of the
extensive smuggling on that coast, that merchants are out of toucL
with muleteers, and that illegal taxation is levied in Bushire on the
rc-transport by sea. The Shief route, however, suited the purposes
of muleteers better, as they have been severely tried last year by the