'Report on the Development of the Baluch-Persian Caravan Route and on the Nushki, Chagai and Western Sinjerani Districts, for the year 1899-1900' [‎8v] (16/64)

REPORT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BALUCH-PERSIAN CARAAAN ROUTE AND
that traders taking- specie to Quetta, to purchase goods, had to put up w.th a loss on
exchange of no less than 12 per cent., and they begged me to rectify this. On my retu.n to
Quetta 1 ascertained that there were upwards of 120,000 krans lying idle m the bazar,
the cause of this being, so it was explained* to me, that the exports from Baluchistan greatly
exceeded in value the'imports from Persia. I have taken the advice of several personsf
qualified to speak with authority on the question of exchange, but the answer 1 have
received has, in every ease, been the same, that the development of trade will itself rectify
the difficulty.J
8. I desire to point out, as I have done in previous reports dealing with the year's trade>
that the monthly returns which close this report, must not be taken as absolutely accuiate*
It occasionally happens that kafilahs march direct from Kishingi to Baghak, without entering
Nushki at all, and sometimes belated Persian kafilahs return to Seistan through Shorawak.
None of these caravans find a place in my returns. Again, there is no little difficulty
attached to the accurate registration of the steadily growing trade in live-stock. For the
reasons I give the totals reached by the monthly trade returns fall rather within than without
the true figure.
9. The objections which are persistently urged against the Nushki-Seistan trade-route,
briefly summed up, are as follows :—It is maintained that the route, throughout its length,
traverses a barren, sandy desert, which produces neither camel-grazing, forage, nor supplies, and
where water, scanty in quantity and indifferent in quality, is only to be found at long inter
vals. It is, moreover, alleged that the trade-route, as a road for camels, is open to the serious
objections that the gradients are in many places heavy, and that where the track is not
barred by moving sandhills it is strewn with rocks and sharp-pointed stones, which wound
the camels' feet and put them generally to an unduly severe strain. Both in my weekly
diaries and in my reports I have been at some little pains to combat beliefs which stray so
far from the true facts of the case; but as I have not hitherto been wholly successful in
doing so, I trust that I may be pardoned for once more repeating that, west of Nushki, the
road traverses an open, almost level, and nearly sandless plain, where water is to be obtained
at every stage in quantities which are, to all intents and purposes, unlimited, where camel
grazing, except in the depths of winter, is luxuriant, and where the necessaries of life, and
indeed many of the luxuries, can be obtained, at reasonable prices, from the shops which have
been established for the convenience of travellers at intervals of every three or four marches.§
The country between Nushki and Tratoh, so far from being a desert devoid of life, supports
a fairly numerous population of Nomad Baluch, and affords pasturage for many flocks of
sheep and herds of camels. Beyond Saindak, in general features the country bears a marked
resemblance to many other parts of Baluchistan, in the vicinity of Quetta, which I could
name. It is only between Tratoh and Makak Karez, a stretch of 70 miles, that anything
approaching a waste is crossed. I use the word “ approaching " advisedly, for here patches
of grass are to be found in every nullah bed, and, as far as camel-grazing is concerned,
there is sufficient of this for the requirements of caravans. Of the objections urged
against the caravan-route which I have summarized above, the only one which will bear
investigation is that having reference to the question of gradients. West of Nushki, the
road has been aligned to run across an open, flat plain, but in two places between Quetta and
Nushki the gradients were so severe that heavily-laden camels used to negociate them with
difficulty. However, a few week's work last winter has sufficed to change all this, and laden
camels can now cross the Kurd Barak and Kishingi Kotals without any trouble. I pertainly
consider that further attention might be advantageously directed towards that important
subject, the question of improving both the road and the facilities for the carriage of o-oods
between Quetta and Nushki, but this is a matter with which I propose dealino- a little
further on.
10. The distance from Meshed to Bunder Abbas is 966 miles, as compared to a distance
of 1,011 miles from Quetta to Meshed ; yet, if we compare the relative merits of the Bunder
Abbas and Quetta-Seistan trade-routes, I think that we will find that the advantage of
distance, on the side of the former route, is more than counterbalanced by the followino- 'Very
real advantages which lie on the side of the latter route. In the case of the Nushki-Seistan
route, the rates for supplies |j are as a rule much less, goods never change hands in transit
and the cost of carriage is Rs. 6-2-6 per maundl less. I would beg to call special attention
to this, as, added to the fact that distance is in favour of the Bunder Abbas road, the route
through Nushki has only been opened to traffic three years, and many improvements, which
are calculated to still further reduce freight charges, have yet to be made. Lastly/ goods
forwarded to Meshed only traverse 548 miles of Persian territory as compared to a distance * * * §
* Although this explanation appears obvious, yet I cannot hold myself responsible for its correctness.
tMr. Maason, Manager of the Punjab Hanking Company Limited, whom I consulted, suggested that the Imnerlol
Bank of Persia should be moved to open a branch of their business in Seistan ; but I fear that it is useless asking fh-
Rank to do this, as trade through Nushki has not reached a figure sufficiently high to offer the Bank an inducement
J I fail to perceive that this must necessarily follow. The Meshed Consular Reports show that the value of fi,
Indian goods which pass yearly to Meshed greatly exceeds the value of the imports from the same nlare I «
inclined to think that this will be found to be the case with all Anglo-Indian trade with Persia. ^ ’ m
§ I allow that several marches exceed 25 miles, but this can be rectified when funds are available.
1) In Seistnn grain ranges in price frcm 26 to 45 seers per rupee according to the season of the Year
from 56 to 80 seers. Seistan is roughly half way between Meshed and Quetta. '
f Vide the Meshed Vice Consular trade report on the trade of Khorassan for the year 1898-99.
and barley
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