'Report on the Preliminary Survey of The Route for The Central Persia Telegraph Line from Quetta to Bam and Pahra' [‎57v] (119/162)

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decree of harm, especially when they are unduly embellished. Having written
so much I will now step back to my own ground.
Newspaper references about Nushki trade route.
2 7. On the subject of newspaper references, I would like to make a few
remarks. Amongst the Indian press, the Pioneer in particular advocates with strange
persistency the claims of the Nushki route. It would be interesting to know why.
It would also be interesting to know from what source it derives its information
on the subject, for many of the statements which have appeared in its columns
are, I think, misleading, and very much open to question. ^ With most of the
matter which is published I have, of course, no concern It is only because the
telegraph is occasionally mentioned that I have any right to meddle, or allude
to the subject here. My reason for referring to the Pioneer is the same as tor
referring; to the official report by the Political Assistant, Chagai which is that it
advocates very strongly the extension of the Quetta-Nushki telegraph system,
first onwards to Robat (Koh-i-Malik Seah), and hence to Kerman This, it
may be noted, corresponds with the proposal made by the Political Assistant,
Cha^ai, As the paper is an influential one, whose view's are generady marked
by sound common sense, its opinion with regard to extending the telegraph
from Nushki to Kerman may tend to prejudice the interests of the Central Persia
Telegraph Extension in some minds. I cannot at present lay my hand on some
references I would like, but I will quote extracts from two leading articles which
have appeared recently. 1 he Pioneer, dated the 26th January 1901, contains the
following:—
« so far the telegraph has only been extended to Nushki,
its extension'onwards*to Robat, and hence to Kerman is urgently demanded. A survey
of the old route made in 1898, vtd Amir Chah, resulted in an unfavourable report being
sent in by an Indian Telegraph Officer, as the moving sand hills seemed an insuperable
barrier, but now a fresh survey is being made, and we cannot believe that any difficulties
will be found to exist.”
I don’t know 7 why the extension of the telegraph is urgently demanded to
•Robat is the camping ground at Koh-i-Maiik Robat,* and hence to Kerman. The
Seah. Pioneer does not supply many reasons to
support its extravagant request. As far as I can see, there is no trade between
Robat and Kerman,t and never likely to be any, at all events until some better
means of transport than the camel is obtainable for the journey.
In the course of an article dated the 1st June 1901, the following appears
“ For the due expansion of the trade w 7 hich has sprung up so
rapidly in the last three or four years, telegraphic communication is urgently
required. The wire has been already laid from Quetta to Nushki, and its
extension onwards to Siestan is a w 7 ork which the Government of. India might
well sanction for next cold weather Leaving strategic
considerations out of the question, though they are important enough to claim
attention, the building of the telegraph line can now be justified on commercial
grounds alone.” It is impossible for me to surmise who the writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. of these and
other similar articles is, although it is evident he is a staunch supporter of the
trade route. I would like to know what are the commercial grounds which
would justify the extension of the telegraph line along the Quetta-Siestan route.
The Quetta-Nushki telegraph system is worked at a loss, and this being so it
is probable, nay certain, that telegraph offices, if opened further west, would be
still more unprofitable. I have referred to this subject in paragraph 25 of this
report. 1 need not here add further to what I have already said. So long as
the Nushki route bases its demand for support on political reasons, it can claim
a certain immunity from ordinary criticism, but, when it tries to justify its
existence on commercial grounds, its case, 1 think, is a weak one. I have not
space, if my discourse is to be kept within reasonable bounds, to question more
of the Pioneer's statements regarding the Nushki route. I will only say that
many of its utterances on the subject appear to me to be characterized by
the same enthusiastic optimism which is evident in the official reports by the
t Vide paragraph 22 of this report.