Coll 28/120 ‘Persia. Ahwaz – Consular diaries.’ [‎103r] (206/669)

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"bread had caused a number of people who normally baked in their
own hornet? from flour drawn as 'rations from allied sources* or
privately bought, to resort to the brea#fihops, and five tons
more than on the previous day were issued. The broadshops were
even more congested, and the quality of the bread was worse.
The Finance officials were able to clear themselves easily by
producing samples of grain (which were excellent) taken when the
grain was handed over to the Municipality for sale to the bakers
and by pointing out that some of the breadshcps were able to
produce thoroughly good bread (this was in fact true) with the
grain issued to them,
(12) The patience of the more interested faction among
the merchants was by this time exhausted, A noisy deputation
visited the Governor-General and demanded the freeing of the
market. Referred to the Finance Department, they went to the
office of the Director, which is shared by Aghai Nafigi, and
having collected a mob of some hundreds en route proceeded to
break up the office to emphasise their demands. Aghai Rafisi
was thoroughly shaken,and after a hurried telephone conversation
with the Governor-General agreed to the market being freed. The
mob, who had shouted not for more, better, or cheaper bread, but
for permission to the merchants to supply wheat, dispersed
quietly when the Chief of Police informed them of the decision,
"Free bread" of moderate quality was available at Rials 12 per
kilo on the evening of the same day; on the following day bread
of poorer quality was on sale in sufficient quantities at
7,50 per kilo,
(13) The mob nad been led by one Bahbahani, a prominent
merchant of Ahw&z who is credited with having made several
fortunes since the removal of government control of the supply
of bread some twelve months ago. Rahirni, manager of the
Electric supply Co,, and Vokhshuri, m anager of Abrinhomka r.?
Ahwaz ? most notorious wheat speculator, were also promineht 'in
the mob - a circumstance which lent weight to the Contention
of the Governor-General and Aghai Nafisi that Abrishomkar was
the leader o s uhe movement. All four persons were arrested at
noon of 6th July and left for Buru.jird on the same evening, at
which place they were to remain until orders were received from
Tehran fixing a more unpleasant place of exile.
|(W) As the British
I having inspired the four a
I the first real action ever
has been difficult to asse
narily unconscious of the
previous quarrels with the
General 1 s reason for en^nii
four persons arrested gave
that could not very well b
are almost universally credited with
rrests, the real reaction to this - ■
taken against hoarders in Khuzistan -
ns. Public opinion seems extracrdi-
fact that Aghai Nafisi had had
Abrishomkar family and the Governor-
ty with- Behbahani or that three of the
a challenge'to the Persian authorities
e ignored.
(15)
Meantime the supply of bread in Ahwaz is^free” and
was to remain so until such time as authority was received from
Tehran to sell grain to the bakers at a price in accordance with
that at which government is buying grain from the landlords and
a reserve of flour accumulated for issue to the bakers sufficient
to meet any rush on the bread shops. The necessary authority
to•sell grain to the bakers at Rials 4.50 per kilo and bread to
j the public at Rials 4 was received on July l£th 9 The establishment
of a controlled market should, therefore, be a matter of a few days,
(1-6) ^ Khwjeh Mehdi Quli has agreed with the Rais-i-ICiarbar
of Ali Godarz to deliver six hundred tons of wheat which he will
collect from the area under his influence provided he- is not'
interfered with by the Kharbar or the amnieh. This ic good news
/since