Coll 30/9 'Persian Gulf: Administration Reports 1926-1938' [‎172v] (349/1028)

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however, as regards the age of persons eligible for military sendee were con
ducted with considerably less strictness than previously.
Education Department.—This Department has 15 schools in Bushire and
district and in the sub-ports under its management. No improvement has,
however, been effected in its working or efficiency.
Economic Condition.—Thera was no appreciable improvement in the ^
economic condition in Bushire and district, ihe greater bulk of the population
of the hinterland remained poverty stricken. The peasantry took to helping
the extensive smuggling rife in the district either by acting as guides to the
smugglers, or by enlisting as road guards and obtaining pay from the smugglers
by giving timely information of the movements of Government preventive
^patrols. ■ » ; J
With the object of alleviating this state of affairs and providing a living
for the needy, the local officials requested and obtained sanction from the
Central Government to re-start work on the Coast road between Bushire and
Lingah which had been stopped for want of funds. Operations were com
menced in September. A total of 500 men being employed on the scheme.
According to statistics kept by the Police a large number of persons during
the year migrated from Bushire and district to Mohammerah, Abadan and
towns in the interior and to Bahrain and the Arab Coast. Some of the poorer
peasantry of the hinterland came into Bushire in January and the Municipality
employed them in road-making and kept their families in a caravanserai A roadside inn providing accommodation for caravans (groups of travellers). outside
the town.
A proposal was put forward to erect a factory An East India Company trading post. in Bushire for the manufac
ture of gunny bags but the local merchants show T ed such lack of interest iu the
project that nothing more has since been heard of it.
Bushire Municipality .—This Department remained throughout' the year
under the Honorary Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. of Abdul Shakoor Amin, the Assistant Governor,
Bushire, and received its monthly budget allotment of Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. 2,000.
In the beginning of 1934, the Municipality took steps to ensure sufficient
supplies being available to last the town until the next harvest. 50 tons of
wheat were purchased and stored for sale to bakers. Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. 40,000 had been
received from the Revenue Department for the purpose.
In April new taxes were levied as follows :—
Persons leaving Bushire by sea Rials 8 per head 1st Class, Rials 4, 2nd
Class and Rials 2 Deck passage.
For travellers proceeding upcountry the tax was Rials 4 per head
for passenger cars and Rials 2 for lorries.
The Excise tax on spirits was also raised by Rial 1.
The object of these taxes was to raise funds for the local Government ele
mentary school and provide 10 beds for a lying-in ward for poor persons in the
Town Infirmary.
A staff of 50 employees is maintained to look after the sanitation of the
7 own.
SECTION 4.
Military axd Marine.
, J rmi/.—In February Brigadier-General Ibrahim Khan Zand, Commanding
the r ais Dimsiou, Shiraz, visited Bushire on inspection.
The strength of the Bushire garrison remained at 1800—the same as in
the preceding, year. The Conscription Office was re-opened in August. Exemp
tion papers were examined and names of the youths wdio had attained military
age were announced. They v~ere, however, not recruited because the military
mracks was full. Only batches of 40 or 50 w^ere taken in from time to time
when similar numbers of conscripts left the barracks on the completion of their
_ y ears service. In December the Conscription Office was transferred to the
ixaval bureau with orders that any one conscripted from the coastal towns
should carry out his service in the Navy