'Report on the British Indian Commercial Mission to South-Eastern Persia during 1904-1905. By A H Gleadowe-Newcomen.' [‎19v] (43/176)

26
REPORT ON THE BRITISH INDIAN COMMERCIAL
If my suggestions are wholly or partially adopted, a considerable local trade
could be relied on in the way of henna, dates, raisins, fruit-juices, fruit and
gum tragacanth both up and down.
To the above add the through trade to and from the ports that now exists,
and, with the certainty of greater development, when actual through hoohina
comes into force, the possible exploitation of the mineral resources of the country
and the erection of mills and factories (the importation of machinery having
been rendered possible by the opening up of a good road and wheeled tractionf
I think we have not an unpleasing picture of what the future of Southern
Persia might be.
The linking up of Bander Abbas and Bam telegraphically would, in the
event of my suggestion being carried out, become an absolute necessity; ’indeed
the mails might be carried by this route, too. *
I have advocated the making of a road suitable for wheeled traffic from
Bander Abbas to Kerman, as I consider any road merely going to Bam would
be useless; the time and money saved by quick transit to Bam and safety in
transit thereto would all be negatived by having to break bulk and tranship at
Bam and then proceed to Kerman, Bahramabad, Yezd, etc., by ordinary means
of transit; we must get goods to a place convenient in every n ay as a distribut
ing centre, and to my mind Kerman is the place to get to first, wherever we
may go to later on.
No statistics are available of inland trade, but some idea can be had from
the figures given under “ Trading Centres,” and I do not think, allowing for
development of existing trade, as well as of new lines, such as minerals, cotton
wheat, gum, etc., that I am too sanguine in anticipating an increase of
50 per cent, m trade by tlie opening up of a good road on the lines suggested
between Bander Abbas and Kerman. 56
If it he desired to develop the Nushki route to its utmost canaoitv tb^
Thl W w y oufd m ^ :f t :l ed l° Ka,a Eo ! ,at ’ on ^ confines of British P territory!
this uould mean that the time occupied on the journey to Seistan would be
considerably reduced, while the land trade of India with Persia would rTcdye a
and^Tw^Wfh 8 ' , Tlle 7 hol ® of Persian Baluchistan would he commanded,
distntfrom a ld K v n i be °f / ab -° Ut 16 0 and Nasratabad about 90 miles,
omayfn Cd h ^ temmus - The line c ™ld be laid along the existing
route^h!^Southern d ppTCia bb T ^® sen ^ s * ate ari( l _ the future possibilities of trade
in • - p 1 ^ 11 ^ er 1 s ^ a ’ I W1 ^ now call attention to their insecurity Travel-
sc* fJtss
District. The reason fm thl i f * " 10 ^’ , where !t skirts Bashalrird
admit that the robbery has taken ^koe • al £* 18ea ° b Governor refuses to
is being decided, the robbers escape m Pr0TlnCe ’ aDd ’ wMlst this P oint
speaking genCThly!®™^ y^th^Goyf tb6 0 T S f fi th «i insecurit y of roa ds,
Persian officials, little indeed rea^tfhS 7% Id^rd^ ^