Page 391 - Gulf Precis(VIII)_Neat

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In connection with these flagstaffs, when visiting Bunder Abbas recently the Darya
Begi informed Lieutenant Shakespear that he thought the Government flagstaff might
probably be shifted north-eastwards to the sea-shore, but that the Customs flag would
remain whero it is.
2. Customs Hut.— For position, see sketch map. This was also a point with regard
to which Mis Excellency the Minister in his telegram of 14th January suggested that an
arrangement should be come to between our telegraph clerk and the local officials, but no
local official appeared at Hcnjam to consult our Telegraph Superintendent, and the Bel­
gian Customs Administration had the hut erected where it pleased them, without reference
to him. The Director, Persian Gulf Telegraphs, objects to its present position.
3. Quite recently, preparatory to his visit to Henjam, His Excellency the Darya Begi
had two mat shelters run up at the landing place for his own use, and this spot is now
suggested as the probable site which the Persian authorities have their eyes upon for a per­
manent building. It docs not appear to me however to be in any way a suitable site for
any building, and there is in any case no tangible evidence at present to support the above
surmise.
4. On the other hand, His Britannic Majesty’s Consul at Bunder Abbas reports on
good authority that the Director of Customs has invited tenders for the erection of a
substantial building on Henjam, and that one well-known merchant gave a tender for
5,000 Tomans. This figure was considered too high and the Director is said to be anxious
to get it done for 2,5000 Tomans.
It is not known for what purpose such a building is contemplated ; whether for cus­
toms premises or for a telegraph office.
5. Having recorded the foregoing items of factor information, I respectfully invite a
scrutiny of the accompanying sketch map. The first thing to be done before any questions
of site can be satisfactorily considered seems to be for us to decide what limits we are in
a position to claim for the “ British Telegraph Station."
I submit that on our old record we could claim from the northern shore of the island
back to the cliff-line on the southern side of the valley containing our cultivation, and
along that boundary east and west from sea to sea, as shewn by the red line in the sketch
map. In the time of our former occupation we seem to have held this much undisputedly,
furthermore a considerable amount of British money was spent on tho maintenance and
erection of the numerous rain water reservoirs ou the rocky ground north on the valley and
round the plinth, and in the valley itself and industrious British community excavated
numerous wells and thereby kept under cultivation a considerable tract of ground. This
cultivation has been re-started and the tract supplies its own evidence of our previous
* No 39 io Secret E., December 1904, Nos 1-36. occupation. *
The present Superintendent of Telegraphs has done a good deal in the direction of
clearing out wells, making bunds and planting date palms, A small crop of grain has even
been sown and gathered this season under his direction. It seems important therefore if
we are going to maintain the station at Henjam that we should not forego our claim to this
cultivated tract, if only to give a little distraction and interest in life to our Telegraph Staff.
6. The next point for consideration seems to be this—■
Supposing we are in a position to claim for the British Telegraph Station the limits
indicated above, what does the substantiation of that claim involve? How far can we pre­
vent the Persian Government from taking up sites within those limits without our con­
currence? and within what limits can we speak of " encroachment on our ground
vide Minister’s telegram of 14th January 1905.
In this connection I understand it to be the viewt of the Director of Persian Gulf
t No. 1539 in Secret E., Februarj 1905, Nos. Telegraphs from a departmental standpoint that
*5*31536. in any case no structures, buildings or flagstaffs
should be allowed to the north of a line passing east and west through the village shewn
on the sketch map. I presume wc shall at least endeavour to secure this.
7. Then as to the present and future position of the Persian flagstaffs; in the first
place it seems unnecessary and gratuitous that there should be two flagstaffs perched one
on each side of our new Telegraph building under construction. One should be elimin >ted.
I! (<») is to remain, there seems no particular objection to its present site, for a flag­
staff only, but.if it is intended to mark a site for Customs quarters as is said to be the
case I agree with the Assistant Superintendent in thinking that the site is open to objec­
tion, as apart from the fact that it looks down on our building the drainage from it would
run down a gully to one of the newly repaired water reservoirs and would befoul it.
8. I may mention that the ‘‘village” shewn on the plan consists merely of four or five
mud tenements and a few more thatched huts. Ordinarily 1 oeiieve they are as often as
not unoccupied. At present they are tenanted by labourers working on our telegraph build­
ing or menials of the Tolegraph establishment.
The building shewn as the Moin-ut-Tujjar's godown is merely a mud tenement built
and used by the Moin's agent or farmer when there is any export of salt going on. There
are still some heaps of earthy salt lying on the shore as shewn in the plan, said to belong
to the Moin’s man.
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