File 537/1921 Part 1 'Persia: Oil - Defence of A.P. Oil Co's fields etc' [‎164v] (324/324)

Subject to this proviso, he cordially agrees with recommendations (n), (ni), (iy),,
and S regards recommendations (i) and (v), he would prefer to limit his concurrence
. A * i J 11,.;,. vos-nActive costs by the present incumbents at Ahwaz anil
| 1 V .
£„£mme,”h, hoM hi.S ,eco,„m»d,tio„ s in *,'«!
experience in due course.
30 The Government of India will observe that, notwithstanding the large
number of Europeans and Indians in the oilfields and the important interests centred
here I have not proposed that there should be any Government representative there.
I have reached the conclusion, after much consideration that the balance of advantage
lies n leaving the responsible representatives of the Company on the oilfields, as at
Abadan, to work out their own salvation as far as possible with local interests and
with their own employees, consular intervention being sought only in emergency.
This nlan has been followed for the past 10 years, and we have no icason to iegret it.
V
37. On the oilfields the Company owes its immunity from serums disputes between
Indian employees and between British and Indian employees, and between themselves
and the local Persian labourers and residents, and surrounding nomads, mainly to the
personality of Dr. M. Y. Young, C.I.E., who has carried the complete confidence of all
classes. He was given judicial powers as a First Class ivlagistiate in 1J1S, and lias
used them, though somewhat reluctantly, with good effect without arousing any sort
of resentment. p i i P . .
The time will come when Dr. Young will seek some fresh sphere oi activity, and
it will be the duty of the Angio-Persian Oil Company to see that he is succeeded by
an equally sympathetic officer with a knowledge both of Persia and of India. I have
no doubt that this will be done.
At Abadan the position is easier, as Mohammerab is only 9 miles away, and
both the British and Indian employees are not slow to refer such differences as cannot
he settled locally, to His Majesty’s Vice-Consul.
38. The Vice-Consuls referred to above should have the powers of First Class
Magistrates.
His Majesty’s Consul for Arabistan should have the powers of a Judicial Assistant
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. . These powers have already been conferred upon Captain
Peel, and the exercise of them has been found useful in practice, and of all the appeals
against decisions of successive Judicial Assistants that have been received and dealt
with by me at Baghdad during the past three years, only in one case did the Judicial
Secretary, who advised me in these matters, consider that there had been any
appreciable failure to comply with the due provisions of law and procedure. In no
case was there a failure of justice,.nor was any decision reversed on appeal.
59. It remains to refer to the question of a British representative at Behbehan.
This is an important town which has for some time past come within the scope of
the Bakhtiai i Khans, and is of considerable potential importance from the point of
view mf British trade, and is, like other areas in this region, a potential oilfield.
^ le ie ^ sous ' or aL1( ^ Vff a inst our taking active interest in its affairs have been
11 - hi ought out in previous correspondence. I need only record my opinion that
steps should be taken as soon as we conveniently can to establish a Consular Agent of
our own there under Ahwaz, who should lie a Persian subject but not a local man;
and that steps should be taken, in communication with the Bakhtiari Khans and the
rai ti of Mohammerah, to make a motor road as soon as possible from Ahwaz to
,-, e ^ ^, D ‘ V s wo 1 11 . only involve, as far as I know, the expenditure of a few
ousonc poun s, anc it srould prove a highly profitable venture, as have the Ahwaz-
Shushtar and Ahwaz-Dizful roads, for which local money should readily be forth-
road g> R COmpaU} bein ^ fori eed, and a toll being put on motor vehicles using the
know^that^inpp 111 connection for the Government of India to
merehon^ m xh arm f^ ce f me ~° niotor vehicles have been purchased by local
tained betwemftl p bllQ ^ tar ’ and t) lat a regular motor service is being maiu-
betWeen Ahwaz and Mohammerah, which is understood
to oe very profitable to the promoters.
I am, &c.,
A. T. Wilson,
r . n . . . Lieut.-Col., LA.,
Umciatmg 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. .