Letters and Papers Concerning the Trans-Persian Railway and Other Railways in Persia [‎143v] (286/442)

-1933
Supply (.Committee). HOUSE OF
[Earl of Ronaldshay.]
from the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. to Bandar
Abbas upon the Russian gauge. From
both the commercial and the stra
tegic points of view it appears to me to be
a most foolish condition for any British
Government to have laid down. If we are
to have this railway, either upon the In
dian or the Russian gauge, it is essential,
both commercially anl strategically that
the break should occur near the Russian
Frontier. It should occur as far North as
Yezd or Ispahan. My own suggestion is
that that part of the line which lies in
Persian territory should be constructed
neither upon the Russian gauge nor upon
the Indian gauge, but upon a standard
gauge which is used in many other coun
tries. The Russian gauge of 5 feet and
the Indian gauge at 5 feet 6 inches are
far wider and far more costly than are
needed for such a railway. If the suggest-
tion I throw out is adopted, it will obviate
all difficulties arising out of differences of
opinion between the two countries as to
the exact point at which the break should
take place.
There is one other condition which it is
understood the British Government have
laid down as necessary before their co
operation can be obtained, from which I
entirely dissent. The condition is that
Russia should not oppose an application
by Great Britain for the concession of cer
tain other lines running from the Persian
Gulf into the interior of Persia, including
among them the railway up the Karun
Valley from Mohamerah to Khoremabad.
I do not object to that part of the condi
tion, but I would far rather see the
Mohamerah Railway built than the Trans-
Persian Railway. I think it would be far !
more valuable, if you look at the question
from the point of view of British and
Indian commercial requirements. The part
of the condition from which I entirely dis
sent is that if the concession for that line
is secured that it should be international
ised. If a concession for a line up the
Karun Valley is secured, it should not be
internationalised, but should be a British
undertaking. May I remind the right hon.
Gentleman that, speaking upon the ques
tion of the Baghdad Railway rather more
than a year ago in this House, he himself
threw out the suggestion that if we wanted
to safeguard the interests of British trade
in that part of the world we should seek
railway concessions of our own. The senior
Member for the City of London (Mr. Bal
four) had been pointing out that if the
COMMONS Foreign Office. 1934
Baghdad Railway was built differential
rates might be imposed against British
traders. The right hon. Gentleman the
Foreign Secretary, in his reply, said:—
“ The right hon. Grentleman said that thote guaran*
tees ”
namely, the guarantees against the im
position of differential rates on the
Baghdad Railway—
“ might be so worked as to be in practice unfavourable
to British trade. Your only guarantee against that is
to make other routes of your own for British trade.
. . . If the guarantees you can get . . . are not
sufficient, you have no option except to get other con
cessions which will be under your own control.”
Interrupting my hon. Friend the Member
for West Staffordshire (Mr. Lloyd) the
right hon. Gentleman again said—
“ I attach great importance to the suggestion, which
I did make in general terms, as to the possibility of
other routes, which I think the hon. Member ought not
to ignbre.”
In answering a question which I myself
put to him on the 4th May last year, the
right hon. Gentleman said:—
“ His Majesty’s Government have applied to the
Persian Government for an option to construct a rail
way in South-Western Persia with British capital.”
Surely we were entitled to assume from
those statements of the right hon. Gentle
man that this concession for the railway
up the Karun Valley from Mohamerah to ^
Khoremabad was being applied for on
behalf of purely British capitalists, and
that it was to be a purely British enter
prise. I cannot understand this mania
for dragging other countries into parts of S'
the world in which they have no interests,
but in which we have enormous interests,
and which have for generations past been
almost exclusively concerned with British
commerce. Perhaps the right hon.
Gentleman will be able to reassure us on
that point. I think it is highly unneces
sary that this Government should itself
lay down the condition that, if an appli
cation for a concession for a railway in
that part of Persia is obtained, it should
be made an international concession. I
hope the right hon. Gentleman will not
think that any of the criticisms which
I have ventured to make upon his policy
have been made in any factious spirit.
The SECRETARY of STATE for
FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir Edward Grey):
Hear, hear.
EARL of RONALDSHAY: I hope when
he rises to reply he will find it possible to-
give us some further information upon the
various points which I have ventured to *
submit to his attention.