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61
who had long been Acting Head ofthe Department of Commerce, and who has
now been appoinied Acting Minister. Monsieur Vassighi is himself believed
to be heavily interested in the Monopoly Companies. Monsieur Ala had little
technical knowledge of commerce, and his appointment as Minister of Com
merce was doubtless not a very good one. Nevertheless the departure from
the Government of a man of his ability and integrity, well-disposed to British
interests, is to be regretted. He is at liberty and in good health, and it is to be
hoped that he will soon find further employment.
3. Another Ministerial change has recently occurred, with the replacement
of Monsieur Mehdi Farrukh, Minister of Industry and Mines, by Monsieur
Abul Qasim Ferouhar, Minister of the Interior since October 1937. Mon
sieur Ferouhar thus adds yet another to the varied lists of posts which he has
held in the last two years. He is said to be in high favour with the Shah at
present, but his new Ministry is regarded as about the most difficult and least
enviable one. Pending the appointment of a new Minister of the Interior,
the President of the Council of Ministers has charge of the Ministry as in 1936.
4. No appointment has yet been made to the vacant post of Minister
for Foreign Affairs. There have recently been strong rumours that Monsieur
Kazemi would return to this post from the Governorate-General of Eastern
Ayerbaijan, but the rumours have not been confirmed. Nor has any appoint
ment been made to the post of Minister of Posts and Telegraphs, vacant
since the beginning of 1937.
5. I am sending copies of this despatch to the Department of Overseas
Trade and to the Secretary to the Government of India in the External Affairs
Department.
(47)
Copies to India No. 81.
(Reference Tehran despatch No. 8 of 19th January 1938).
All Consuls circular despatch No. 13.
(Reference circular despatch No. 3 of 19th January 1938).
Lettee feom His Majesty’s Ministee, Tehean, to the Foeeign Office,
London, No. 167, dated the 26th Apeil 1938.
In continuation of Mr. Seymour’s despatch No. 17 of the 19th January
last [S. No. (11)], I have the honour to transmit herewith copies of further
legislation connected with the reorganisation of the administrative system of
this country, and with the concomitant scheme to ^ive legal force to measures
of agricultural development, which was reported to you in Mr. Seymour’s
despatch No. 39 of the 5th February 1938.
2. The enclosures are :—
G) A translation from the official text of the regulations, issued in accord
ance with Article 18 of the Law of the 7th November 1937, for the formation
and duties of the Shahristan administrative councils.
(n) The French text, published in the “Journal de T6h6ran ” of the
23rd January last, of the regulations,'issued under Article 21 (e) of the Law of
the 7th November 1937, for the Bakhsh administrative councils. This text
has been compared with the official text, and requires no comment in this
respect other than the footnotes which have been appended.
3. Two small corrections are needed to the second of the enclosures to Mr.
Seymour’s despatch No. 17 under reference. A comparison of the “ Journal*
de Teheran text of the supplementary law, which was finally passed on the
19th Dey, 1316 (9th January 1938), and the official text shows that (a) the
“ Ustan ” containing Tabris and Ardebil should, according to the official
version, be No. 3, while that containing Khoy, Rezaieh etcetera, should be
No. 4 ; and (b) the 6th Shahristan of Ustan No. 9 should be “ Gunabad ” not
“ Khanabad ”.
4. I am sending copies of this despatch to the Secretary to the Govern
ment of India in the External Affairs Department and to His Majesty’s
Consular Officers in Iran. ^