Page 377 - 5 Persian Trade rep BUSHIRE I_Neat

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mile*, rates for sugar and other articles arc higher ! in 1012. From (lie end of March to the end of
in nronortion T’c highest point reached rep re- j May the presence of marauding tribesmen and
m proportion.^ _ i ~c ni0ui i i I ^ anar%.liy allowed of no traffic passing.
sent# nearly £‘J0 jer ton.
-------- I From ihe beginning of June to the end of August,
! 3 months, th* 8'afhud r<s-d was, as in the summer of
I?!1-12. 1912-13.
1 H)U, «.pen to a conrid-. raldo amount of traffic, and
continu'd safe and in • xc**ll. :.t condition until the
Krans. Kians C 5. d. Kadicai nomads Mt tl.» vicinity of the road, their
presence making it didicult for other robbers to
March . 320 6 1G I j make attacks on caravans. Again from thclx-gin-
April 100 230 4 10 10 j ning of September to Xovcmb-r -21st there was a
I total cessation of traffic on both the Telegraph and
Jana 170—190 310 6 3 S the Sarhad route. But foil ,wing the arrival of
the new Goveruor-Gen- ral of Fars and the passage
6 18 2
July 190-200 3S0-110-100 ( 3 7 3 of Gendarmerie confidence was greatly restored,
and caravans passed frcvly and in larger numbers
7 12 S than had bo'n recorded for some years, until the
{ 9 18 2 two large raids were rated at different places
August . 420-ISO-300 8 U *> last davof th-? Persian year March 20th 1913, when
8 0 0 by robber tribes, and 300 males, mostly loaded
Octohor . 410—120 { 7 13 S w ith British goods, carried off.
These incidents happily have not been sufficient
Fovciuber 390—120 1 7 1 10 lo check the steady improvement of conditions
7 12 S
since that date, and the st-^dy increase in the
Dccemhor 210-250 SCO* 5 9 1 amount of traffic.
January . 310-320 Th-* impr. vement has boon reflect :d in the rates
of hire pier 100 maus of <36 lbs- w hich were as
FeVruary-March 310 • follows;—
March . . j 20.* 5 5 5 Kraus. £ r. d.
April 1913 . 310 G 15 0
* Government rancor liny Dt •■irlincut an,l mn!* October 420 5 12 G
lire ug/ament.—By September ar.d October thes- A'oveai: »r „ SCO 6 12 0
rcekless rates wire having a most deplorable effect Poceiuber ,, 310 6 4 0
up-eountrv: consignees in Shiraz and elsewhere Jannjrj 1J13 fc2 4 3 0
loudly complained of disregard of their interests : February », 200—200 4 0 0
sugar was costing 8rf. per lb. iu Shiraz; and it March „ 215 l 10 0
did not pay to s nd goods on to Isfahan. Stej«
were therefore taken to get all merchants to sub­ reprerenling a maximum of about £25-17-6 and
scribe to an agreement not to forward at rates minimum ut about £12 per ton.
above a sum (to be fixed month by mouth) ; to Th-? number of animals record rl upwards to
pay a fixed rate of advance hire, and to stipulate Isfahan was 5,072, <2nvnw-rds to Shiraz 4,310,
for delivery to be made at destination within a representing goods computed to weigh some 853
fixed number of days. Owing to insufficiency of tons, and 615 tons respectively.
transport animals, and mutual distrust, Persian Total hire Bushirc-Tsfuf.nn.—Aggregate rate*
merchants insisted that such rates of hire would of hire lietween Bushire ar.d Isfahan thus ranged
only be respected if mules and doukeys were from a minimum of about £15-15-0 to a maximum
apportioned daily among forwarding merchants of about £53 (about October 1012) per ton for a
in proportion to stocks. distance of about 405 miles. These prices are for
The local Government therefore formed a bak'd goods, nearly all other goods l>cing propor­
Forwarding Department under official administra­ tionately higher.
tion for this purpose. Kates were brought down Ahwaz-lifahan Road.—This route from the Gulf
from over 40 Toouns to 30 Tomans at the begin­ to Central Persia has considerable interest for mer­
ning of December, and maintained till March. chants iu Bus hire, for when it is closed by weather
This is an important development from the conditions or insecurity, merchandise can go forward
point of view of imports to Central Persian to Isfahan by the Cushire-Shiraz route solely :
markets : not only does it make for cohesion among when the contrary is the case, merchants wishing to
all merchants in Bushire, as the frequent meetings forward to Isfahan often tram-hip goods to Abwaz.
involved tend to promote unanimity, and delivery Rates of hire on the two roails also influence traffic
to Shiraz becom-'s more expeditious and uniform on each to some extent. During the year March
than formerly. It also gives goods from the 1912-13 on the Aliwaz route, as on those connected
south a chance of being forwarded ou from Shiraz with Shiraz, anarchic conditions continued to pre­
to Isfahan without incurring the frequent loss in dominate till the latter half of the year. The Bakh-
sale, resulting from exorbitant rates of hire. Slowly tiari triliesmen could not control Kuhgelu marau­
but steadily, as illegal exactions are removed bv ders, and at the outset no measures were taken to
the’Govcrinent forces, it is hoped to bring back guard the passes. From the beginning of June
laics to the normal figures of l*.*07-08, when they till the middle of September Kuhgelu raids caused
rarely exceeded HO Karns (12-8-8) or about the cessation of all traffic. The caravanserai at
16-iU-O per ton. Malamir ar.J British goods in it were burnt and
Shir.iz-hfahan Road, and ralet of mule-hire.— looted, upwards of 10U transmit animals carried
Caravan inwis;»*rt on this most important stretch off with loads, fresh British losses took place at
o; road was f-.r the first six months of 1912-13 Shalil, the road was l^.-sct by robbers. However
s.bjcct to very similar impediments to those ruling a settlement among the Bukbtiari Khans, who