File 2297/1919 ‘Persian Gulf Residency Monthly Reports. 1912-20.’ [‎388v] (781/1044)

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of Roadg.
for the Fars administration, and as in present circumstances the collection of any
revenue is very uncertain, it is difficult to formulate any exact programme for next
year’s expenditure. Monsieur Stajs, however, has made the following very
rough estimate of his possible receipjs
Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. .
(a) Revenue which will be collectable from Shiraz
and the immediate neighbourhood, about ..120,000
(b) Revenue which might possibly be collected sup
posing the Governor-General has any force
at all at his disposal about Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value.
160,000, say half of this .. .. 80,000
Total .. 200,000
and this, he thinks, is the utmost which is likely to be collected during the ensuing
financial year. If to this sum is added £30,000 (say 165,000 Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. ) on the supposi
tion that that amount will be earmarked for Fars for next year, we arrive at a
total of some 365,000 Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. , which would allow for an expenditure of about
30,000 Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. per mensem, whilst the lowest figure to which the monthly provin
cial expenditure can be reduced by . the exercise of the utmost economy is
estimated at about half as much again.
Monsieur Stas has informed the Consul that whereas he can obtain from.
Monsieur Mornard no replies to his repeated telegrams regarding the most urgent
and important matters, he receives constant messages from him concerning quite
trivial details. Monsieur Mornard has also instructed Monsieur Stas to include in
his next budget the salaries of all the district governors of Fars and of their retainers
and police, as well as the cost of all the various provincial administrations such as
justice, etc., the total not to exceed 30,000 Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. a month. Either Monsieur
Mornard has issued these instructions with the intention of rendering Monsieur
Stas task impossible, or else he must be grossly ignorant of the condition prevailing
in Fars. Hitherto it has been the custom for the various district governors to
recoup themselves for their expenses from the revenues of their districts under a
system well understood and universally recognised in Persia, but which is admit
tedly vicious in principle and results. Both the Governor-General an4 Monsieur
Stas recognise that this system is undesirable, and both desire to terminate it as
soon as possible. To do so, however, presupposes the existence of a regular revenue
settlement, and of proper finance agents at each district centre and in present
circumstances such an organisation is impossible. It is to be hoped that it may
come in time, but it cannot be created in a moment by a stroke of the pen.
But besides this Monsieur Mornard in issuing his instructions seems to have
entirely overlooked the existing establishments and sanctioned expenditure of
the province. It is only by the exercise of the utmost care that the cost of the most
essential branches of the administration (such as the Governor-General’s office,
the army, the police, and the road-guards) can be limited to a monthly sum of
40,000 to 45,000 Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. : and how Monsieur Mornard supposes that all these
together with the pay of the subordinate governors and of the other branches of the
administration can be confined to a sum of 30,000 Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. it is difficult to under
stand.
This is only one instance of Monsieur Mornard’s general attitude towards the
Fars administration, and whether it is due merely to ignorance, or to some other
reason, it threatens, if persisted in, to bring the whole machinery to a standstill.
283. Ispahan Road .—Dehbid reports that the tufangchis at that place are
levying he?,vy rahdari on caravans. They also threaten to take bast (Per.) A Persian custom allowing an individual to seek asylum at a designated location. in the telegraph
office as they are owed three years’ arrears of pay. Mullah Qobad has left Abadeh,
and is reported to have been placed in charge of the road from Aminabad to
Ispahan by the Governor-General of Ispahan. The Mukhbir-es-Sultaneh informed
the Consul that Mullah Qobad is very indignant at the refusal of the Governor-
General of Fars to hand over to him the Aminabad-Abadeh road, but in view of