Coll 28/120 ‘Persia. Ahwaz – Consular diaries.’ [‎34r] (68/669)

o -
any declaration of policy from Tehran and th* conscqut'nt
absence of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company from the wheat market,
(The news of the Persian Government's decision to purchase
wheat at 3000 Rials per ton had not percolated to Khinvistan ana
as the Hack rate had already reached 10,000 Rials could net
in any event have had an immediate effect*)
Ahwaz town continues to he fed on small stocks
acquired by the bakers direct fr^m the poorer land owners,
^he quantity appears to be sufficient for the needs of the town,
reduced as they have been by the Persian Government departments
and the British Military authorities supplying wheat for their
ewn staffs or contract labour. Competition among the bakers
appears to have improved the quality,-but the price remains
fantastically high for those classes which have not directly
benefitted by the general rise in prices,
Tho butchers of the town, apparently secured by the
knowledge of the douceurs paid to the Director of the
Municipality (para 6 of Ahwaz diary for 15th-31st August refers
and anxious to take advantage of the rise in prices following
large-scale purchases of sheep by the British forces, applied
for permission to sell common meat at 15 Rials ner kilo*
(The
corresponding price in September 1941 was 5.-50 Rials and in
September 1942 £ Rials,) Permission was refused^and the butchers
had a day's strike before they compromised or
D Rials rer kilo
v111. a ge, about 1 2
ii tribesmen who
that two o-p
6. Tribal
On 1st October the Amnieh at Marun
miles north west of Be hb eh an, captured sova
were alleged to be a raiding gang*1t was reported that two o
the tribesmen were armed with rifles and a third was in
possession of the cartridge belt of a British automatic weapon,
On 7th October a party alleged to consist of five
armed roir Ahmeds held up between Marun and Behbehan an
Anglo-‘I rani an Oil Company lorry and took away tw-nty large
packing cases containing the household effects of a member of
the European staff at Gach Sar-arn The cases were man-handled
to a cave some distance away where they were fcroken open and
the contents of twelve of them loaded an mules. Tight cases
were recovered from the cave on the arrival cf the Amnieh some
four hours later. Some of the articles have been traced to the
hills north east of Behbehan and others are reported to be
at Zaidan twenty miles in the opposite direction. There is
little doubt that the gang had previous information about the
lorry and its load, and the whole scheme was boldly conceived
and well executed.
Colonel Sarrabi, the Officer Commanding Troops
Khusistan, called the Beni Turuf Sheikhs in Gonnecrlon with
the incident at Sheikh Saddam's house reported in i.ora 6 or
Ahwaz diary for 15th~30th September, The Sheikhs reported
that they were roundly abused for their r independence-” which
Colonel Sarrabi connected with contacts vith British officials
The Sheikhs pointed cut that they had loyally followed th
ad vie o o f the 3r 11 i sh r e pr e sen t a 11 v^ s wh i ch ’■ ■ ^ v ■ 4 1 * ^ ~ +
peace and remember that they were Pens
pointed out that since these contacts
incidents involving the Persian forces
that they had oven arrested and handed
authorities bandits who had defied the Gc
This is reported to have enraged the Colonel still furthe
and ha boasted cf the imminent arrival of Persian forces
would s break the Arabs’ necks,garrabi never the loss noai_
his tone later and asked the Bern Turuf to take a letter c
safe-conduct to the Chenanch chiefs and attempt t
hich was
to ke
an subje
c t s; t
here had
been :
at Dasht
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,, v* e x 1 c - 1
the Pe
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