مجموعة ٥/٣٠(١) "يوميّات الخليج الفارسي: المقيمية البريطانية في بوشهر (الفارسية) يناير ١٩٤١" [و‎‎٢‎١‎٩] (٩٣٨/٤٣٨)

(o’) It is felt that sufficient emphasis has b ^n laid
on what most Persians feel now to need no proof, viz; that
the allied nations will win, and that still fare.-ter str s-
might now be laid in our publicity on the superiority of
British culture, political organization andaboyenll(with
a view to the postwar competition that we shall have to face)
British ?»nd Indian commercial products and production.
VII. FOODSTUFFS
(a) Reference paragraph I ( a ) ( i i i
Colonel Ateullah visited the Supply Departmei.t
and obtained statistics of the cereals delivered to date by
contractors. He appeared to be satisfied with the deliveries
made under Hiat Daudi ’ s contract, and asked the Director oi
the Supply Department why he had not brought pressure on
other contract ors. (A^aian Hikmat, nkabc rian and p a yyi r:L > #
The explanation given by Aqai Shamloo was that the first
two contractors v/ere responsible to Shiraz and he was there
fore unable .to bring any pressure on them. as regards Aqai
Dayyiri, he said that he had referred the question to H.a.
Consul, as this contractor’s excuse is that the contract
given to Aqai Akabarian covers his area, and it was arrevnged
in Shiraz that all contracts given in Bush ire for the area,
v/eie voided.
(b) As it was learnt from colonel Ataullah that the
Supply Ministry do not intend to institute the Tehran system
of rationed sale of wheat, instea.d of bread, in BUk.hu.xe s
consideration has been given to the solution of the matter
by local action. After discussion with the Govern or, a
scheme his be^n worked -out by His Majesty’s Consul, which
aims to permit the sale of a% limited quantity of gr: m {at .
the Bushire admixture of 60% wheat and A0% parley t at the
supply Department’s fixed Scale rate of 5p rials a kilogram.
This would be retailed in a Municipal shop, while correspond
ingly reducing the amount issued to the bakers for conversion
into bread. If the barley component is reckoned at % the
price of wheat (as in this year’s crop purchasing price), the
value of the wheat component of a. 60/40 mixture sold at Se
rials can be y/orked out by a complicated algebraic process to
be 6 rials a kilogram. This should cut the ground from
under the black market rate, v-hich is at present, in Bushire,
26 rials a Bushire maund, or about 7-p rials a kilogram.
At the same time, the additional profit to Government
secured by selling at 5.50 rials the kilogram agrain mixture
which (at 4 rials the kilogram of v/h^at and 3 rials the kilo
gram of barley") Government can purchase at 3.60 rials a kilo
gram, is designed to subsidize the remaining proportion of
the town’s daily supply, v/hich will still be issued to the
bakers. This will enable them to sell bread to the public
at the ''fixed 1 ' rate of 3 rials a kilogram of bread with a
fair profit to themselves.
At present, as a result of two carefully conducted
experiments, it can be demonstrated that a baker buying 400
kilograms of grain from the Supply Department and selling
bread to the public, both at the official prices, must make
a daily loss of 226 rials. The result is that the official
selling price obviously cannot be enforced, and tht bakers,
preferring to steal a sheep than a lamb, especially when the
danger of being hanged for either is sdslight, have been
selling at one rial each, breed flaps which average out at
five to the kilogram.
Cnee, however, the two selling prices have been
logically adjusted, it should be found possible to take action
for their enforcement.