Coll 28/111 ‘Persia. Kermanshah – Political diaries.’ [‎113r] (226/751)

here in hie place. Meanwhile the Acting Governor General ana ^eting
Governor combined a minor official with the rank of bakhshdar.
4. The post of officer Gomnanding Kermanahah Hrigade has now
been filled by a Colonel c* r HRtJKKS^AFX, who hna some knowledge of
Kurdi&taii bat is sola by those who Know him to have shewn himbeif
incapable and cowardly in the operations there not long ago. He
certainly does lot impress one as a military character, bat as his
main task is of course to make money for hlmseli ana hia military
superiors in Tehran by starving his wretched men ana ex xsnsiveiy
feeding his mostly non-existent horses, that may be said to matter
little, even in a troublesome tribal frontier area line ..estern iraru-
5. The vacant post of Director of Supply in Kertaauahah w&e
offered in mid-Aug'ftfet to a knowledgeable local oificAal named
MU’STE Z A A3PA, but he declined it owing to nervousness at his power
to cope with the p ‘esent state of inefficiency, graft and confusion ^
in the Supply Department. The ofiicial mentioned in last month’s ^
report as having been suspended for being caught with uv«r GOG su^ar-
coupons in his house, was this month appointed to a lucrative poet
as head of the Supply Department at KAKGAVAR, but this move has been
attributed to Mr BERGEN, the American assietant now in charge, or
rather tc his alleged v.dllingneas to to sign any Persian doctAiije..t
put before him.
6. The demonstrations at the beginning of August mentioned
above were caused primarily by the shortage ana b>tu quality of bread
In the Government shops, and by the dearness of the 'free' bread
which the bakers preferred to sell in large quantities* They ^ei*e ^
fanned however by agitators, some oi whom were suspected of being in
the jay of the AMlk-i-<CUnG ana his landowner friends. The local
police dia nothing whatever for two aays^o check the readiness and
throwing of stones, and there are reasons to believe tin t certain
police officers, as well as some officers of the ieoul garrison, an- 3
couraged the riff-raff. The British were of course blamed for the
oread shortage, until the Governor at the instance of this Jonsulate
put up a notice threatening any such statements with imprisonment.
on the second day, part of the mob threatened to attack ohops in the v
Jewish quarter, which gave H.M.Oonsul an opportunity of warning the
authorities ot the political dangers of complacency; and th ,n-
strations were quickly endec., as they could have been at the start,
similar scenes occurred a few aaya later at H madan ana halayir.
7. Electioneering in dermanshah gegan to became more earnest
towards the ena of August, with the arrival of rich and influential
canal unites iron Tehran. Aa there ai'e four neato here, various
cliquesjuiiite to support each other, ana it is alreac^ clear that the
landowning ana profiteering else>es expect to ^et in, especially aftei ^
getting rid of the Governor GAbAHX. Ail of them claim to have the
warm support of the British negation ana of the British Consulate,
notwithstanding all the outspoKea strictures of the latter on the
'old ^ang” in general, ana certain members of it in particular. It
is still very difficult to foretell what chances the two progressive
cunaiuates here will have, anu in any ca&e the buli.otiag iseaid
to ue put oif lor several more **eei.a, wtulc the election cumiittee
formed by PaLaHI can be dissolved for a more anjenable one.
OVIST .01 iVnT^o:
8. There is still no ai^n of a .ovist GOnsil’s arrivlhig in
Acrmanshah, ana a vice Conbul continues in charge. The excursion to
bri TJL in July turn* out ot h^vc boon a most dUiilcult aid arabiflou*
one
via PUxHT-i-KUH a’ia KlHRiui, ne ^r the
Iraq frontier,
''A'lCIA'lCHK T
across t