Coll 28/120 ‘Persia. Ahwaz – Consular diaries.’ [‎76r] (152/669)

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(1(3) Sotlrios ChriRtodoulonouloc, a Greek merchant holding
pas snort No, 3720 issaed in i.thene on 19 th i/Iay 19^1, arrived in
Ahwan on 11th Bareli,
(17) M. Gaib Atademir, a Turkish professor holding passport
No. 37/76 issued at Nahul on 24th September 1942, and i/i. Ibrahim
Adnan a Turkish doctor holding passport No-. 39 / 1 7 issued at Kabul
3rd October 1942, arrived in Ahv/az from Kabul en route for
irkey. Atarn was accompanied by his wife, a three year-old
son and a servant Mile Ghahide Begi, holder of passport No. 51/20
issued in Kabul on 22nd November 1942,
(18) Mile Mari V/ohlwend, holder of Swiss passport ? T o. 188479
issued in Tehran on 2bth August 1942, left for ^hran on 15th March.
IV. Economic .
(19] Two inches of rainfall in the last fortnight of February
and a further inch in the first fortnight of March have again
yimproved crop prospects, reports from outside centres speak of
substantial though unspecified falls in the price of wheat in
consequence. The consumer in the town has received little direct
benefit as bread in still selling at the same price with the
merchants and bakers pocketing the tffifferen&e; a distinct improvement
It. the quality of the bread sold is, however, reported.
(20) The seasonal spring decrease in the price of commodities
produced in the country, which is reported normally to be as much
ss 50 r i, has been much smaller this year. Good mutton, which up to
& fortnight ago was selling at 30 rials per kilo, is n jw down to
rials 25, and ghee which was rials 420 for 7£ kilos is now down
vo rials 380.
^ 21) bith reference to para 23 of >Jiwaz diary for 1st so 15th
^ February, four bags of sugar seized from the well-known merchant
Sehdashti have been made over to authorised shops for selling at
Municipal rates, ^his appears to have done littxe to reduce the
jrowds at the sugar shops, the shop-keepers swear that Economic
Department has issued twice as many coupons as they have supplied
sugar, while the Economic Department accuses (without farther action)
ihe shop-keepers of keeping back supplies to,sell at black market
?ates. '
22) With reference to para 24 of idiwaz diary for 1st to 15th
vs February, declarations fr.jm merchants are coming in very slowly and
execution of the lav; is delayed by the reference to Tehran
cf certain cases where a merchant is also importer and retailer.
7. Tribal
23) The arrival of marshal rhahbakhti in fhiraz and the
iespatch of a column to Kazerun has already caused considerable
apprehension in the Kuhfilu: it was renorted that the Boir Ahmed
Sarhaddi lowov sections under Abdullah Khan Darghampur and 'the
i.j>per sections under Mohamed Hussain Tahery were drawing together,
while the Darashuris were trying to compose their differences with
the Boir Ahjneds; Nasser Khan ^ashqai was also .said to have demanded
riflemen from each of the ^ashqai sections. Marshal fhahbakhti' s
circular addrersea to tribal leaders of Khuzistan and Mars caused
still more excitement and more vigo^rous attempts £c form a united
front. Abculiah Khan Karghampur was supposed to be seeking a
meeting with Nasser Khan Mashqai and a representative of some
standin? from the Darashuris was said to be already with Abdullah
Khan. In the •meantime a letter from Nasser to Abdullah Khan fell
into the hands of the Kersian Authorities; the contents of the
letter are known only at fifth hand, but Nasser is believed to have
asxed Abdullah for a move before Nourus to tie down the Khuzistan
forces and to acquire arms, a letter from Zaki Khan, the Darashuri
leader, wnich aiso fell into the Persian Authorities* hands, is
Reported to have denied the reports of the German retreats on the
Russian front and to have called on Abdullah Khan for action in
Confidence of the imminence of N3er Tag*’. The Darashuri and