"تقارير إدارية ١٩٠٥-١٩١٠" [و‎‎١‎٣‎٣] (٦١٦/٢٧٠)

AND THE MASKAT POLITICAL AGENCY FOR THE YEAR 1907-1908. 73
than risk losing everything. The facility with which debtors can abscond and
enjoy protection at Lar, remains a standing menace and deterrent to the Hindu
trading commnnity and exercises a very disadvantageous influence on trade
enterprise. The Persian trader refuses to engage in 'cash' transactions and inva
riably wants credit. The consequence is that the British Indian trading com
munity has no option but to sell on credit and risk non-payment, or to stop
trading altogether. The Deputy-Governor has recently announced his
intention of again collecting " pierage." Orders were issued by the Tehran
authorities early in 1907 to discontinue the levy of this tax, but the local
authorities seek to justify its re-imposition by stating that it is still included
in the schedule of revenue to be recovered by the Governor of the Gulf Ports.
The matter is engaging the attention of the Eesidency and of His Majesty's
Legation.
The year has witnessed a general weakening of the authority exercised S^aSon admi "
bv the local Customs administration. This may perhaps be accounted for by
M. Naus' departure from Tehran and the subsequent uncertainty regarding
the continued employment of Belgian Directors and of the measure of support
to be expected from head-quarters in enforcing the regulations. At Gatchin
and Bostapa, on the Clarence Straits, Mulla Hashim, a protege of the Deputy-
Governor of Lar, having first warned M. Wagner of bis intention, proceeded
to intimidate the Customs representative and himself to collect the Customs
dues, while at Kohistak, on the Biyaban coast, the Baluchis drove out the
Customs employee and closed the post. All subsequent attempts to re-estab
lish it proved fruitless until, towards the end of the year, the expedient of
buying the services of Mir Birkat Khan, an influential Baluch Chief, achieved
the desired result. M. Wagner, the local Director, proceeded on leave in June
and was succeeded in turn by Moses Khan and M. Varren. The latter is a
Swiss and is well disposed towards British interests. He was transferred to
Lingah at the end of October, when Moses Khan was re-appointed to Bunder
Abbas and has continued in office until the end of the year. With uncer
tainty in their minds as to their position and prospects, it was not possible ^ for
the Directors to evince anti-English sentiments and, as a result, relations
between the Customs and the Consulate have been entirely devoid of friction
or unpleasantness. In Minab, Mirza Karim, the Mudir who formerly gave us
mfo so m uch trouble when acting in that capacity at Hen jam, maintained his bad
reputation by imprisoning in his house a British-Indian subject against whom
he had some claim. After repeated representations to the Customs Adminis
tration, the Consulate has at last secured the dismissal of this truculent mudir.
Steps have recently been taken to re-establish Customs posts at Charbar and
!% Tank and a steam launch has been despatched to Charbar to assist the mudir,
hut the Baluchis have ne\ er acquiesced in the establishment of these posts and
it is thought that, as formerly, they will proceed to break them up again at
re ' .g their leisure.
Throughout the cold weather, large numbers of Pathans, prevented from Armstrafflo.
landino- at Maskat. arrived by mail steamer and proceeded to purchase arms
and ammunition from Lari traders. In the early months of the year, large
consignments of arms had been smuggled ashore at the different ports On the
Clarence Straits and conveyed thence to Haji Ali Kuli Khan, Deputy-Governor
of Lar. On learning that a good price could be secured for rifles from the
Pathans, large numbers were transported from Lar to Bunder Abbas and were
iie] lere \ 0 \^ in the bazar almost under the eyes of the Customs authorities. The
iP^j, procedure adopted was somewhat as follows -.—Having paid the trader for the
number of rifles required, the Palhan proceeded to his encampment outside the
town and prepared his camels for departure. In the evening, the Deputy-
Governor's tofangchis, on receipt of a small commission, would proceed to cany
jU# I rifles one by one to the Pathan, until the whole order was delivered. As
, ar ^ tfce tofangchis habitually carry arms, no comment arose regarding this proce-
J # ^ ure> In other instances, Pathans arrived by steamer, purchased camels locally
and then left without loads, proceeding to some previously selected spot on the
IjiJ Biyaban coast, there to load up with arms and ammunition. The Customs
' , .jf authorities were kept informed of the existence of the illicit trade, but always
J deferred taking action, the Director dreading to damage his popularity by
JV making a raid upon the traders implicated. On the Biyaban coast, however,