"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الجزء II. ج. ج. لوريمر. ١٩١٥" [‎٢‎٦‎٠‎٢] (١٢٦٢/١١١٩)

2602
ration, 27tii
April 1903.
Working of
the »ew
tariff.
Question of
enhancement
of rates
within the
limits of the
tariff.
Russian Government at the secret|conclusion o£ an agreement conferring
on Great Britain a control over future tariff revision, "which had
hitherto belonged to Kussia alone. 5 ^
The enforcement of the tariff of the 14th of February 1903^ was
sudden ; but it had been long foreseen in commercial circles^ and various
applications for refunds of duty made by British firms on the ground of
insufficient notice were not supported by the Legation at Tehran. The
tariff was unpopular with native merchants^ and there was agitation at
Tabriz, Bushehr^ and Shiraz ; but disturbances^ which were at one time
anticipated^ did not occur.
This is not the place in which to discuss the commercial bearings of
the tariff; but one such matter of importance deserves to be mentioned
here ; especially as it was the subject of a misunderstanding on the part
of the British Government. The duty on tea was fixed by the Anglo-
Persian tariff at 18 Qrans per Batman on white^ and at 12 Qrans per
Batman on black teas^ but it might be reduced by the Persian Govern
ment to 6 Qrans,—a form of expression borrowed from a declaration put
in by M. Argyropoulo ; the Russian Minister, in signing the Russo-
Persian Declaration of 1901. The duty actually charged when the tariff
was brought into force was 10 Qrans on white and 6 on black teas, to
which a special rate of 7 Qrans on mixed teas was subsequently added.
The British Government understood that these rates, having once been
introduced in virtue of the power of reduction possessed by the Persian
Government, could not be subsequently enhanced without the consent of
the British and Russian Governments; but this construction of the
Declaration and of the tariff was not admitted by the Persian Govern
ment, who explained that a low rate had been adopted in^ the first
instance merely in order to avoid trouble with their own subjects, and
asserted a right to enhance the duties at any time, subject to the
maximum fixed by the tariff. The import of tea into Persia amounted at
this time to about six and a half million pounds per annum, and the
additional revenue to be obtained by even a trifling increase of the duty
was thus large, making the Persian Government reluctant to forego the
right of enhancement which they claimed.
In the end their claim was conceded by the British Government.
The Reglement Dcmanier of 1904.
Difficulty as
to penalties
for offences.
It still remained to draw up and establish a code for the ^ working of
the customs ; this code had been mentioned in the Declarations of 1901
and 19C3 under the title of Reglement General, but it was more
frequently described in later negotiations as the Reglement Douanier or
Reglement Legal.
The treatment of offenders against the customs regulations originally
proposed by M. Naus, the Minister of Customs, was exceedingly severe.
* A copy of the Russo-Persian tariff sent to the Government of India showed the
duty as 10 Qrins on white and 6 Qrans on black teas, but this was a clerical error.