'Persia and the Persian Question by the Hon. George Nathaniel Curzon, M.P.' [‎210] (245/714)

PERSIA
Sea, a total distance by caravan march of 1,500 miles, and occupy
ing a camel four months of time. 1 Second is the route from
Bunder Abbas on the Persian G ulf to Meshed, of which there are
two variations : the shorter journey via Kerman, Rahwar, Nahiband
and Tun, a distance of 910 miles, or 40 days by mule and 75 days
by camel; and the longer deviation via Yezd, which is occasion
ally taken by merchants, because of the greater abundance of
transport and the additional chance of finding a sale in the busy
mart of Yezd. The third, and by far the most direct and shortest,
route for Indian merchandise, would be via the Bolan Pass by rail
to the British frontier at Chaman in Beluchistan, and thence
by Kandahar and Herat to Meshed, a distance from the Indian
frontier of 30 stages only, or 670 miles. This route, however,
which was once a crowded trade artery, has practically been killed
by the exorbitant transit dues charged by the Amir of Afghanistan, 2
whose fiscal policy is conceived on the strictest protectionist
principles, and is coldly indifferent to the convenience or the com
merce of his neighbours. Of the two former or practicable routes,
that from Trebizond was utilised by British merchandise in 1889
to the value of 23,400Z., that from Bunder Abbas by Anglo-
Indian merchandise (excluding the China tea) to the value of
00,870?.
By treaty between Great Britain and Persia, only five per cent.
ad valorem can be charged upon British merchandise, at the port
import or town of entry. Thus British goods will be called upon
duties f or ^ impost at Tabriz (having passed through Trebizond,
in transit, duty free), and Anglo-Indian goods at Bunder Abbas.
But as in the case of Khorasan there are no British merchants at
the destination or at the big towns en route, the Persian Custom
house officials take the opportunity of screwing a little more than is
their due, and subjecting foreign merchandise to the same system
as prevails for native goods, viz. the payment of a customs duty at
each large city. Thus British goods from Trebizond after paying
their five per cent, at Tabriz will, after passing into the hands ot
1 The freight-charge of each camel-load from Trebizond to Meshed is 27j
tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. , i.e. 11. 17.9.; from Bunder Abbas (via Kerman) to Meshed, 9 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. , i.e.
21. Us. 6d.
2 The Amir levies 21. 2s. upon every cwt., and the cost of each camel -load is
fiarther 21. 7s. On the Kabul road lie is reported to levy 80 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. (5Z. 13«. 4^.)
on every camel-load of Indian goods in transit to Bokhara. This is not Protec
tion, but Prohibition.