File 3443/1914 Pt 3 'German War: Afghanistan and Persia; German agents; British troops in East Persia' [‎7r] (22/345)

(
[P 293]
[P 442]
( flyCa i^iJL (t StiT^S ^
From Secretary of State to Viceroy, Foreign Department,
24:th January 1916.
Foreio-n Secret. Seistan telegram to your foreign Department, 20th
December. Shortage of supplies in Seistan. Cannot something be done to
facilitate transport by motor lorries on Nushki route ?
From Viceroy, 3rd February 1916.
Secret. Your telegram of the 24th ultimo. Supplies m Seistan.
Question of motor lorries on Nushki route is receiving attention.
FP 838]
From Viceroy, 6th March 1916.
11. 1717. Reference your telegram of 24th January unnumbered to
Viceroy, Foreign Department. x- i i •
We propose to start a mechanical transport service irom JNusiilvi to
Robat as soon as possible. The requirements are 12 supply vehicles which
should be 1 J-ton lorries carrying useful load of 1 ton with necessary
extra fittings and stores. Also six additional lorries of same type for repair
vehicles, spare parts, and store vehicles and spare reserve vehicles.
We know from actual trial that 3(J-cwt. Fiats are suitable, but
possibly vou could obtain equally suitable lorries in England generally
similar to War Office 30-cwt.subsidy type, but fitted with pneumatic tyres
on front wheels and pneumatics on rear wheels. Previous experience
shows pneumatic tyres are essential in the class of country the route passes
through. We can probably get 12 Fiat 30-cwt. lorries through agents in
Tndialjy middle of April and six more by the middle of May—cost roughly
1 0007. each—landed at Bombay with body, spare parts and equipment. Gould
you get earlier delivery of suitable make from England otherwise we propose;
to order Fiats in India?
P 838]
From Secretary of State to Viceroy, Foreign Department,
loth March 1916.
Your telegram, H. 1717. For road like Robat road Montague strongly
advocates solid tyres, and thinks pneumatic costing about 451. a set would
not run more than 1,000 miles. What are your special reasons lor preierrmg
latter ?
I will telegraph again about cars
delivered Bombay.
price here should not exceed 7507.
From Viceroy, 16th March 1916.
H. 2054. Reference your telegram of the 15th instant. Colonel Nugent
and Lieutenant Fennell have traversed the Nushki Robat route with motor
cars and motor lorries fully laden. Some of latter had solid and some
pneumatic tyres. Vehicles with pneumatic tyres twin in rear were able to
negotiate sandy districts of which there are many with far greater ease than
tuoso having solid tyres. Experience on similar ground in Mesopotamia
uph mls^hL view. Colonel Nugent’s experience on this road extends over
1,600 miles, and the records kept by him show average life of pneumatic
tyres to oe 1,50 ) miles when running through to Robat. W e propose to
have JetaehabD wheels shod with tyres for each vehicle at Saindak to
exchange with the pneumatic shod ones, thus preserving latter from the
rocky section between Saindak and Robat. it is estimated that under these
conditions the pneumatic tyres should last 3,500 miles or more.
J-AJ
From Viceroy, 26th March 1916.
tP 1132] Secret. Your telegram dated 24th January. As result of recent motor
transport reconnaissance over Nushki route military authorities aie taking
action to make a route practicable in semi-permanent manner for motor
traffic as far as Robat. Improvement of route beyond Robat would be
costly and is considered unnecessary at present.