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(b) the shortage of cranes to unload barges, and the lack of means to carry
goods from the wharves to go-downs or stackyards,
(c) the complete lack of method in stacking goods and the general disorder
in the Customs areas,
{d) the ignorance, laziness and unreliability of most of the Customs Officials
and the lack of order and method in their offices.
3. The congestion has been increased during the last year by—
(a) the difficulty importers have experienced in obtaining Foreign Exchange
to take up their shipping documents from the Banks,
(b) the spate of goods imported by the Monopoly Companies, who appear
to have ordered a year’s requirements to arrive in the last few months.
4. The overcrowding of the Customs Compound proper has led to overflows
of cargoes being dumped in and around Khorramshahr town in any available open
space. For instance
(i) Motor Cars in Abadan (being assembled by Messrs. The Anglo-Iranian
Oil Company).
(ii) Motor Cars in the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company’s Compound in Khor
ramshahr (landed by Messrs, the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company).
{Hi) General Cargo in Messrs. Gray, Mackenzie & Co.’s old house.
{iv) Tea and sugar in Anglo-Iranian Oil Company’s old general office.
(v) Heavy building material, girders, iron beams, cement, also tea and
piece-goods at Diwanieh and Fahlieh (Sheikh Khazal’s old palaces
on the bank of Shatt-al-Arab two miles up river).
(vi) Packages of general cargo in Husseinia (place close to the Vice-
Consulate).
(vii) Piece-goods, iron beams, etc., in Kut-i-Sheikh.
(mi) Sugar and piece-goods in Moshi Kohen’s go-down,
finally (he) Barges in the river.
5. The overcrowding, varied dumping grounds, lack of Customs staff and
general inefficiency has prevented barges being unloaded and has caused a barge
shortage. As a result British Shipping Agents have been forced to bring in extra
craft from Basra. Messrs. Gray, Mackenzie & Co., Limited were able to utilise
spare barges owned by their Basra Office, but Messrs. F. C. Strick & Co., Ltd. and
Messrs. African and Eastern (Near East) Limited were forced to hire at high rates.
Local barge owners, when they saw that Agents were ready to pay Dinars 5 per
diem for a barge, raised their rates to Rials 500.
6. Delays in unloading barges and the increased hire rates increased the costs
of landing goods, and Shipping Agents, after running at a loss [see paragraph 3 of
my despatch No. 1519 of 21st December 1936 regarding Messrs. F. C. Strick & Co.,
Ltd., and paragraph 6 of my despatch No. 9/11/203 of 17th February 1937 regarding
Messrs. African & Eastem (Near East), Limited] put up their landing charges to
cover their expenses. (The Mesopotamia Iran Corporation owning their own barges
or utilising those of their Basra Office were able to carry on with but slight loss.)
For instance in March it cost Messrs. Frank C. Strick & Co., Limited, approximately
£3.000 to land approximately 3,000 tons from the S. S. “ Kuhistan ”. To balance
their books they were forced to charge from Rials 75 to Rials 90 per ton in landing
charges on this cargo.
7. The Naval Authorities cite the case of the “ Kuhistan ” as the final cause
of the monopolisation of the landing of cargo, and Major Ghulam Hussain Bayen-
dor says in a letter to Messrs. Grey, Mackenzie & Co., Limited—“ In order to ter
minate the coercion of Steamship Companies’ Agents towards importers the question
of landing cargo has been entrusted to the Karim Navigation Company”. (It is
interesting to note that no reference whatsoever has been made to orders or ins
tructions from Tehran, as is usually done by local authorities when enforcing a
new order.)
8 One cannot forget, however, that when Sarhang Bayendor floated both the
still-born Shirkat-i-Naqlieh and the Shirkat Kashtirani Karun (see my despatch
No 9/11/1519 of 21st April 1937) that he said that he hoped to obtain monopoly