Coll 30/9(2) 'Admin. Reports of the Persian Gulf - 1945 -' [‎452r] (903/1148)

vr ■
3.
14, In mid ^ujust somewhat half hearted efforts were made
the Military authorities of dhiraa to commandeer motor and
other transport for the despatch of troops - mostly half baked
conscripts and reservists - towards Khuzistan to '’repel the
Br i ti sh i nvad e r **.
15. ,Vhen the news reached Shiraz that hostilities had begun
at Khorramahahr and .diwaz and at the Oil Refineries the town
remained *uiet. British subjects were not roleeted in any v;ay
and there was no interference with His Majesty*s Consulate.
The general wish was father to the thought that the British
viould turn out the existing regime and either take over the
administration or establish one under their ov/n control. The
^uick termination of hostilities caused universal satisfaction.
16. On September 9th martial lav/ was proclaimed in the town
and a ten o’clock curfew enforced, but until the end of the
there were no signs of any disturbances.
year
■"oyoris
temiTioiTs
1?. Owing tc poor rainfall the harvests proved considerably
below, average. It is not possible to give any reliable
figures of what wheat was collected whereas the harvest of
wheat in the higher regions of
fair those of the southern and
total failure.
Firs may be said to
hotter regions were
have been
almost a
18. Consequently by the end
in Chiraz town became acute.
Economic Department’s go-downs
until very welcome consignments of
arrive and thus the
of October the
In November et<
were down to a
wheat from
tuition was saved.
wheat situation
>cks in the
day’s 8 tip ply
India began to
1
19. The sugar beet crop was only one half of that for the
X^revious year and su-plies of local sugar ran very low. Here
too the sittiation was restored by the timely arrival at the end
of the year of sugar from Java and India. A ration of one
kilogramme per heal per mensem was introduced at the end of
December.
EC. Prices of all commodities began to rise steadily from the
beginning of the year and by December had increased in many caee-
by over 1QC%* In the case of imported goods supplies of piece 1
goods, clothes, drugs and paper became scarce on the market.
Imports practically ceased.
SECURITY
Ei. Bxcept for the activities of certain Boir Ahmedi outlaws
in the Fahlian Shapur region alluded to under the preceding
paragraohe dealing with the tribal situation fair security
reigned" all over the province until the events of I.ugust^and
September _;ave rein to renewed outbreaks o^ banditry on the
roads and brigandage over the country side.
EE. From August onwards the desertion of troois and Amnieh,
in some caset with rifles, enabled robbers to nold up motor
transport on the roads and rcb travellers anc. drivers. few
cases occurred in which British and other European travellers
were the victims.of looting.
E3. Durin 0 November and December however security measures
were improved and in so far as the m~in road was concerned
fewer cases of robbery occurred. In the country districts
however the transport of foodstuffs and goods to the marketing
centers