Coll 30/9 'Persian Gulf: Administration Reports 1926-1938' [‎192r] (388/1028)

with a view to obtaining information on the subject from India.
Arrangements are now being made for the engagement of an expert from
India and the formation of a small company, with a capital of Rials 120,000
(about £1,500) whose headquarters will be at Bam, the biggest town in the chief
indigo producing district of the province.
The question of the establishment of an agricultural farm in Kerman is still
under consideration and the Governor-General has again sent a proposal to
Tehran on this subject.
Locusts .—According to information received in June, swarms of young
locusts were seen in the vicinity of Sirjan, some 150 miles to the south east of
Kerman, at the latter part of May, but no information could be obtained as to
when and where they have been hatched.
Steps were taken by the local authorities and land-owners to destroy the
insects before they could fly and a large number were thus destroyed.
The information reached this Consulate a little too late and steps taken to
procure samples of the insects proved of no avail, nor could any reliable details
be obtained regarding the species, as the locusts had completely disappeared
by the middle of June, without causing any serious damage to the crops.
The direction eventually taken by these locusts was variably stated as north
and north-west.
The above was the only incident brought to notice regarding visitation ot
locusts in the Kerman province.
Murtaza Mirza Qahramani, Chief Census Officer for Kerman and Persian
Baluchistan, returned from Iranshahr at the end of January and proceeded to
Tehran in the beginning of February.
Sijill-i-Ahwal. having been suspended by Tehran
because he had left Khwash without waiting for the receipt of permission from
the Central Census Administration.
Ni’matullah Mirza Kamran (Mu’tasim-ul-Mulk) arrived from Isfahan and
took charge of the Census Department early in February, since when 1m has
held the post of Census Officer for this area (Kerman and Persian Baluchistan K
Kamran proceeded to Khwash in the middle of February, m connection with the
establishment of Census Offices in Persian Baluchistan, and returned m the
middle of April. One office was opened at Khwash and other one at barawan
during the year.
Acting upon instructions from Tehran, men from the local Census Depart
ment started visiting the houses in Kerman in February, with a view to detect
ing persons who had so far failed to obtain identity papers. The cotal number
of identity papers issued to the inhabitants of Kerman city and environs up m
date is said to be just over 45,000.
At the end of October the Census Officer left for Bandar Abbas cn route to
Charbar, to establish an office at the latter place, and returned to
Kerman in the beginning of February 193o.
The maioritv of the inhabitants of Charbar were forced to obtain identity
i>aners inciudiuo- a number of British subjects, some of whom were m posu.-.
of British 0 passports^while others had applied for renunciation or Persian
Nationality. ^Yestvb C l^ 8 ter th ^S!We r Xdfof wUch Ms Majesty/s
Gharbar at the latter part of November.
A large
Officer at Charbar, in order to
avoid being- forced into taking Persian nationality papers.
10. Lolal Politics.— Since the anyv-sar^of the Martyrdom of Ah, mthe
kSe^dnSS’-MnVaS^U ^s been strictly enforced by the Police
authorities, ... ,
• TUn latfpr nart of April passed oft quietly, and
The Muharram ceremonies m the latter pa™ - .1 h .
the processions were less elaborate thai P
Ls2t3FD