The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-31
AMERICAN HOLDING HIS OWN IN PERSIA Many Troubles Beset New
 Persian Official HIS POWER UNBROKEN American Who Went to Straighten Out Financial Affairs of Oriental
 Government x Fighting
 Many Intrigues
HIS POWER UNBROKEN

London Saturday, July 22.-W Morgan Shustey. the American who recently took the post of treasurer general of the Persian government, has already had opportunities to learn much of politics and business under a weak Oriental gov ernment pulled and pushed about by the intrigues and threats of European diplo' mats. His first troubles have been with one of the most powerful chiefs Of the administration and with the Russian ana Belgium interests which combined to break his power Thus far the American has more than held his own.
 Reports have come to London from agents of/ -a.- houses in Teheran which giy an interesting story of the unsuccessful stand the Russian minister M Poklesvski, and the Belgian director general of customs, M. Mornard, backed by the Belgian charge d'affaires, made against Mir Shuster and the national council.
 The council passed law on June 13 in vesting the treasurer general with the control of all revenues and the solo power to sign checks on government funds. M. Mornard who previously had drawn checks on the customs funds, refused 10 recognize the new law and claimed he still had that power. Checks which he signed were refused by the Imperial bank of Persia, an English corporation handling a large part of the government funds. These checks were for salaries of customs employees MT. Sinister issued duplicates which the bank honored. This brought matters to crisis.
 The Belgian legation announced to the Persian government that 1t would not per- init the Belgian employees of the customs, who form d large percentage of the forcs, to serve under Mir. Ehuster if the law was to be carried out The Russian minister went further and declared emphatically that he would introduce Russians to ad- minister the customs before he would submit to MT. Shusters single-handed control
 Several foreign obligations, including the interest on foreign loans, amortization the payment of the Cossack brigade and the pension of the deposed shah, were charge on the customs of the north The Russian and Belgian diplomats took the stand that these interests were i'm perlled by MT Shuster's administration and also denied the power of the na- tional council to pass such law as that of June 13. MT. Shuster thereupon gave written notice to the Imperial bank and the Russian bank that no disbursements would be made from the customs receipts until all liens upon them had been paid and invited them to send representatives at any time to examine the books and accounting methods of the treasury.
 All the banks supported MT. Shuster and the council stood by him also,. but the cabinet was, frightened by. the Rus sian minister's threat and wayered Tor some time. After weeks argument. the treasurer general prevailed upon the min ister of foreign affairs to call upon MT. Mornard to comply with the law.
 Then the opposition collapsed. In the presence of the cabinet and of Mir. Shus- fer. the Belgian director, general of GUS toms accepted the law, and he ana MT Shnster parted on good terms, It was Understood in Teheran that before MT shuster left Washington the Russian am hassador there assured him Russia would not oppose his financial reforms. s