Coll 28/120 ‘Persia. Ahwaz – Consular diaries.’ [‎26r] (52/669)

7 6*
^^caeionsO Sarvan Panah returned from Havizeh and Suaangird
Oh 12th September. He has commented unfavourably on the
slackness of control which is supposed to be maintained over
Susangird from Khor-ramabad,
4. Wheat
The Persian authorities have now abandoned all
pretence at controlling or guaranteeing the supply of wheat
\0 the towns. At a commission held on 1 st September, the
Director of l^inance announced that he could no longer supnly
Vheat at the Government rate and proposed that the town bakers
Should obtain the whole of their supplies on the gree market.
The other officials objected on the grounds that such a course
tfculd enormously increase the cost of living. The Commissioner
cf Police who was apparently under the impression that his
personal influence could procure a loan of wheat from the
British forces or the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company then offered to
provide fifty tons if the Director cf Finance would guarantee
repayment in ten days; the Director not unnaturally refused.
The Commission finally decided that the Governor General
should go to Tehran and endeavour tc obtain manna from the
hills.
n
n
instructions
Tehran, copie
should obtain
also exhorted
wheat as well
amounts so co
though the o
Armieh, were
th September the Director of Finance received
from the Director General of Food Supplies at
d to the Governor General, that the town bakers
■all their supplies on the free market. He
every endeavour tc col!
was
use every endeavour tc collect ’‘surplus*
as the amounts loaned for- seed last winter. The
laeotect were to be stored against a rainy day
merit demands of the Persian forces, military and
to
met therefrom.
Ihe town bakers were summoned to hear of the decision
oa the following day and were told that they ware to sell at
Rials 6 * 60 per kilo. They replied that they were unable to do
sc as they had tc buy at Rials 7000/- per metric ton and about
thirty bakers are reported to have closed down. Other shops
have opened up and as the result cf attempt at centre 1 bread is
now sold at JRials 10 per kilo, (When the town bakers received
vhe whole of their supplies from the Finance Department bi’ead
cost Rials I.50 per kilo and when they received half, Rials
2.36 per kilo). The distress of the poorer classes can be
inferred from the figures.
On 9th September the Governor General received a
telegram from the Prime Minister stating that the Governor
General would himself supervise the food situation and would
be personally rewpoasibla for all issue of wheat and ether
foodstuffs from Government stocks.
5. Loc al Politi cs„
With reference to paragraph 6 of Ahwaz Diary 15th to
ols; August, the fend between the Governor General and the
Director of Finance continues. The Governor General made a
pcrsona1,inspection of the grain stocks of the Economic
Depart-wfit-oti and fijeing them tc contain 50^ charcoal procured the
f arrest
Director
'*•* Th
no no
e
wa
•S
exceedin
gly ba
d ;
..a k., j.
! es
tU
so
thecreti
Ccvixy
c.ont
rc
^ 1
»JL .1
ed
With
-r'c.
•A. o u. Vp
no
e
January,
19^2,
the
r
>el
at:
in Abacia:
n and'
Ahwa
2 -
ha
ve
Of Pclie
a s tat
-a a 0
lx
th
tration
of Aba
den
d
be
by
4, d ~
the bakers whose activities are
to a Colonel Khatemi who served previously m Burujird and Shiraz.