Coll 28/111 ‘Persia. Kermanshah – Political diaries.’ [‎33r] (66/751)

easy-boing Uetandar. The latter some time ago brought a case
against a lorry-owner for damage sustained by his car, but when
-v the case came up for hearing, it was found that the dossier had
been H lost M by the police. The Governor-Oeneral also had a
notorious landowner of bhahabad arrested for theft of certain
property belonging to the murdered bakhshdar A’azami and brought
to Kermanshah, but the Court immediately gave orders for his
release. There are those who think that only a /ilitary Governor
or local military regime can remedy such a state of things, but
it is not certain that this cure would not be as bad as the diseas*
judging from recent experiences in other parts of Kurdistan.
10. it is learnt that the detested Major Isfundiar Khan Sayar
¥» 7 ho was thought to be going to Rowansar as viiicl oi Gendarmerie
there, has been moved from this area , to the great relief of the
inhabitants. After several months witout a Governor, the Qhah-
abad area is now to have as Karraandar a certain Colonel Tabatabai,
who will act as a civilian official. He was formerly bakhshdar
of ^asr-i-chirin and knows that district and its inhabitants, out
is said to be old and unenterprising. His appointment however
iiiay be a saxer one than that of the Kalhor chiexs who were at one
time intriguing for the post. He will have a difficult time un
less the Tehran Government show more despatch and goodwill than
hitherto in settling the question of the return or re-distribution
of the nhahabad properties seized by the ex—Chah, as Disgruntled
tribal leaders such as >jiiir nakhsus anG. nariin Ijavouu.ian are
complaining that they and their families are being kept in poverty
and debt, while theh tribesmen are probably wondering why the ^
Government should apparently be reaping' the profits of this year s
harvest once again, when the ex—»ihah was driven out nearly a
year ago.
It is commonolace knowledge that the Bakhshdars in Kurd
istan, some with difficult and delicate tasks, have received no
pay for five or six months, and some are talking of throwing up
their posts. Much more unfortunate are people liice the minor
officials of the Kermanshah Municipality, who have received only
1% pel’ cent of their pay, which is all they have to live on,
during the last three months. The annual Municipal budget, which
should have been fixed on March ki'Cnd or soon alter, has not yet
been agreed upon in Tehran. Meanwhile in the Finance and gcono: ic
department at least S30Q d>f the 500 employees in this area are
admitted to be redundant, while some only attend at their office
once a month - to collect their puy*
AGR1 0 OLT U RK . .. . . j j.,
TIT TToI is being done locally to give £he impression tnat the
coming harvest is a poor one, especially in the frontier districts.
k,hile°the short rainfall and heat have done some damage in the
asr-i-^hirin area, the campaign is undoubtedly intended to excuse
small deliveries of grain to the Government so that more may be
smuggled into Iraq or hoarded underground in the villages. The
ravages of tae ^, aemx :, beetle have been much exaggerated, and the
Director of Agriculture estimated the damage caused thereby at
less than 2 per cent. Over the whole district the harvest prospects
may still be estimated at aoout M'S or 80 per cent of a good iiormal
crop, especially in the Hamadan and other high districts where
the weather has been cooler.
RRQP AQ-Afli DA .
15. A good deal of printed British propaganda was distributed
here during the first half of the month. The nightly broadcast
of the B.B.C. and Tehran news in Persian in a disused cinema-hall
continues to have an audience of 250 or 300. Means are unfortunate