Coll 30/9 'Persian Gulf: Administration Reports 1926-1938' [‎130v] (265/1028)

8
In February ballot papers received from Tehran were sent by H'
Excellency the Governor to Dashti, Dashtistan, Tangistan and down port!
with instructions to officials concerned to see that Haji Muhammad Re
Behbehani and Shukrullah Safavi, the Editor of the Tehran newspaper the
“Kushish” were elected as Deputies to the Majlis and a few voting papers
allowed to rival candidates in the ballot boxes by way of camouflage. As a
result Safavi was elected by 20793 and Haji Muhammad Reza by 20667
Two other so-called competitors received 1144 and 347 votes.
In the middle of June a law abolishing the Iranian head-dress the
“Pahlevi” cap and replacing it by the European brimmed type of head-wear
was enforced in Bushire. The local officials and £he Police helped in carry
ing the law into effect. The Police forced hat-makers to make nothing but
sun-helmets and caps: merchants were given facilities to import sufficient
quantities of sun helmets and felt hats to meet the local requirements. The
Amnieh (Road Guard Forces) took similar steps in the country. In a
short time a medley of head-gear varying from the local made sun-helmet,
casques, not unlike those worn by halberdiers in Mediaeval Europe,
“gorblimey” caps and harlequin cricket caps were seen being worn in the
town.,
The drastic measures taken in July against a rising initiated by some
priests in Meshed to oppose the introduction of the new head-dress and the
vigilance exercised by the Authorities to nip in the bud any further
commotion against the reform deterred everyone from grumbling openly at
the change. In fact a Sayed Musavat of Borazjan who had spoken against
the reform was arrested and sent to Shiraz for trial and punishment there.
Later on steps were taken to pave the way for discarding the veil. School
girls and mistresses were ordered to go about unveiled. By the end of the
year nobody was seen wearing the old Pahlevi cap and school girls were
going about unveiled and without their “Chaddars” ^shrouds).
Japanese Activities .—On 3rd March the S.S. “Alaska Maru” of the
Shosen Kaisha Osaka (Osaka Mercantile Steamship Co., Ltd., Japan)
arrived at Bushire and at a meeting pre-arranged through the Agents of
the Company in Bushire, the Captain met, on board his boat, some 40 local
merchants and officials. He informed his guests that this visit was a
prelude to the inauguration of a regular service between Japan and Iran.
A month after the departure of Mr. H. Matsushimi mentioned in para
graph 5, Section B, Visitors, above, the local weekly the “Khalij-i-Iran”
published the news that the Japanese had obtained a concession for 50 years
from the Iranian Government to export rock salt from Qishm Island with a
minimum annual tonnage of 300,000 to be lightered to Japanese steamers
anchoring off Hen jam. The newspaper added that a party of Japanese
with an Interpreter would pass through shortly to Qishm Island to begin
work there, but up to the end of the period under review nothing had been
done in this connection.
SECTION 7.
Manumission.
During 1935 the following number of slaves was manumitted :—
Bahrain Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. .......... 14
Muscat Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. .......... 27
Sharjah Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. ......... 3
C. C. L. RYAN, Major,
Secretary to the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency.
in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .