Coll 28/120 ‘Persia. Ahwaz – Consular diaries.’ [‎149r] (298/669)

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of RUirimer oropp, on which the water rate
every khig h of winter cropg sown. These
taken gome of the "financial gilt off the ginger-bread"
the short-sighted Persian investors* point of view, and
would he paid, for
concessions have
from
Colonel
See fx^ce,
k'*T 66 ( 0 ^ 3 .
Noel, in order to get quick dividends for the attraction of
capital, is considering a subsidiary scheme requiring an additional
two haif and a half million rials of capital for the resuscitation
of the shughtar electricity supply and the provision of piped water,
(11) Professor Winsor, the American irrigation expert, hag
also inspected the Behbahan Irrigation project, which is intended
to provide drinking water for the town of Behbahan and irrigation
for a considerable area of land. The project has been semi-
moribund for the last two years as a result of the failure of the
authorities to provide money or material and "overhead expenses"
have consequently consumed some 60% of the meagre funds available*
Professor V/insor, however, finds the scheme full of promise and
is convinced that by taking advantage of natural drainage and
generally improving on "an office design of straight lines" he
can finish the scheme in six months at a relatively low costc
(12) Interesting information on the profits made by the
proprietors of agricultural estate has come to light through
the efforts of Amir Hussain Bakhtiari, proprietor of the estate
of ^halgahi near Bizful, to persuade the lessee, Aghai Qutb, to
increase his payments under the lease. Qutb has apparently been
in possession of the estate for over twenty years- on a series of
five yearly leases* -Last year Amir Hussain requested the lessee,
in view of the high prices of agricultural produce, to increase
the annual rent of Rials 400,000. Qutb paid him all the rent for
the unexpired portion of the lease in advance without deduction
for interest as well as an ex gratia payment of Rials 600,000 to
avoid future appeals to his generosity. Qutb himself estimates
a net profit on the lease for the current year of well over
a million rials, so the Bakhtiari’s importunities are natural
enough. Qutb, on tire other hand, is popularly believed to
have paid the proprietor honestly and regularly during the
twenty years when the Bakhtiari landlords were forbidden to
visit Bizful,
IV. KconomiC o
(13) Almost two inches of rain were recorded in the
foothills in an hour and a half on 5th November. In other parts
of the district the rainfall was lighter but sufficient to allow
ploughing to begin everywhere except in the south-west. In the
Jerrahi area already almost as much land has been ploughed as
last year, and nearer Ahwaz the progress, though slower, is still
good. No active step& have yet been taken for the distribution
of seed wheat and it seems unlikely after last year's bumper
crop that any large scale distribution will be necessary. In
Khalafabad— the centre of the Jerrahi estate— on the contrary,
where the sowings are almost completed, deliveries of wheat
under the sugar barter scheme have reached a new high level..
(14) The rains have, of course, intensified problems of
storage and transport. The British military lorries that were
to have brought in 400 tons of wheat from Waig were unable to
complete the work as a result of roads closed by rain until
14th November and a portion of the wheat has been ruined. The
Waig wheat has, however, filled up the last of the space in the
silo not occupied by the allied forces and the safe storage of
the extra one thousand tons of wheat required to ensure the food
supply of the towns of Khuzistan until the next harvest will be
the next nroblem.
(15)
Optimism induced by the early rains has caused a fall
/in the