Coll 28/120 ‘Persia. Ahwaz – Consular diaries.’ [‎126r] (252/669)

attractive in comparioon with the xKBjry very high hiack-raarket
prices which the middle-claeshoarders were expected to maintain*
The Arabs gradually "became convinced, however, that the control
wan seriously intended and wa* efficient enough to make the import
of wheat into the town an uncommercially high risk; the prospects
of the barter scheme improved enonmouBly and it became Impossible
to obtain any firm black market quotations for wheat*
Although sugar was released for the barter scheme at
the beginAing of the month, results were slow to appear. It had been
Mr, Solomon’s intention that deliveries made under the sugar barter
scheme should not be credited against undertakings but that the
liabilities under the undertakings should be enforced indepen
dently wheever th§ Persian authorities felt themselves in a position
to do so; the shifekhs finally convinced Mr* Solomon that such
a course was quite impracticable and he agreed to credit delive
ries under the barter scheme against undertakings. The process
of establishing confidence has also been slow* The importance of
this factor is clearly shown by the contrast between progress
with the barter scheme in Ahwaz where the accessibility of a
black market had reduced deliveries against undertakings virtua
lly to nothing, and Hindijan, where the distance of a profitable
black market had actually led’.* peaaants to deliver more than they
had undertaken to do* One wouid have expected the barter scheme
to show very slow progress around Ahwa* and be an immediate success
in Hindijan. In fact, the sugar scheme in the Ahwaz area, though
slow in getting under way, is producing a higher rate of delivery
than was made against undertakings, while in the Hindijan-area,
where Mr. Solomon has not yet been able to exoercise much personal
supervision, no progress has yet been made.
(24) The most important development in the wheat situation,
however, has been the discovery of considerable hoards of grain
in Arab villages in the Ahwaz area, amounting to 90 tons in one
instance and over 100 tons in another* These hqrds were di«closed
by a relatively minor official of the grain collection department
who, having been chosen as a scapegoat by the Pishkar for the
failure to collect against undertakings in the Ahwaz area, was
anxious to justify him«olf at the Pishkar’s expense. Mr. nolomon
reports that his informant stated that he could produce two
or three thousand tons of wheat similarly hoarded, but had taken
no steps against the Arabs because he was forbidden to do so
by the Officer Commanding the Persian Forces "on political grounds* w
(25) A certain amount of embarrassment is likely to be caused
by Mulla Badayer, a worthless village spy who was rewarded beyond
his deserts for his services against the Arabs under Reza nhah
and is still able by fear and threats to command a degree of
influence among the Arabs of Anafijieh. Although he now owns a
considerable quantity of fertile land, his uervices to the Persian
forces had always made it inconceivable that any action should
be taken against him to enforce delivery of grain* It now appears
that he not only failed to deliver leven eighth of his underta
kings, but has also been making propaganda among his peasants
against the sugar barter scheme. These facts have been brought
to the notice of the Governor-General who promises the strongest
support in any action taken against him*.
(26) In Japlak and Burburood, a highly productive wheat area
which provided* a surplus of about 6000 tons, the wheat collector
Dr. Amanpur had, bp his excessive extortions, caused such a stir
that the C.L*0«, Mr. Bourne, and H*M*Consul-Beneral set out on hie
track* He seems to be in partnership with Tadayun, late Minister
of Pood, and Itibar-ud-Daulet, Minister of Agriculture, with whose
assistance the Rais-i-Kharobar of Ali Godarz, Alayi, who was also in
the racket, has been sacrificed as a scapegoat, and offers of the •
return by Alayi of the bribes taken have been made by Araanpur who
/Has issued