Evening star., 1927-04-24

inclined toward America, and trusts
his American counselors, appreciating
that the United States has no selfish
ends to serve in Persia.
Hobby Is Railroads.
Incidentally the Shah's pet hobby Is
the building of railroads. Persia,
though in area as large as France,
Germany, Belgium, Holland and Spain
put together, had not single mile of
railroad before the war. and since then
only short military rail lines hastily
built by the British and the Russians
during the war. William B. Poland.
an American engineer of note, has
been appointed by the Shah to direct
the Persian railroad building and pro-
gram Mr.. Poland served on the Har-
bord mission to Armenia when an
American mandate for Armenia was
under consideration at the peace con-
ference. and later he was economic ad-
wiser to Jugoslavia- He has been at
his new post in Persia since December
Work on the first rail line, about 700
miles straight across the empire from
the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf,
is now nearly ready to start.
DR.. Millspaugh's financial mission,
which numbers a staff of 20 experts,
Is without the slightest official connec-
ton with our own Government. The
State Department here neither directs
nor advises in matters of policy. It's
only hand in the creation of the mis-
sion was to respond to Persia's re-
quest with suggestions of names of
Americans which were believed to be
qualified to serve.
Nor does the American mission owe
any allegiance to Wall Street or to
American big business. American
capital investment in Persia in the
past has been negligible. In the fu.
ture it is likely to be large, but Persia
envisages negotiating no loans in the
United States or in any other country
at present.
Commission May Retire.
The contract" of the American ad.
Visers with Persia was for a tern, of
five years and will expire this Sum.
mer. 1t Is not safe to predict as to
its renewal. But if the mission does
not remain it will not be because it has
tailed, but because it has succeeded
and because the Shah believes that the
reorganization job has been cornpleted
and he can henceforth paddle his own
canoe"
one of the outstanding fiscal accom-.
plishments has been the creation of q
state monopoly of tea and sugar. Tho
Perstans are great tea drinkers. and
they like their tea sweet. Consumr.
t1on of tea and sugar in the land is
enormous and 1t is all imported. Per.
sian revenues from this monopoly are
at the rate of a half million dollars
month, and 1t is with this money that
the Shah plans to finance his railroad
building.
TrampIed i'm War.
= The record of the present era. of
American guidance of Persian affairs
is in marked contrast with the Morgan
.Shuster episode back in 1911. Shuster
was an American summoned by the
Shah to be his financial and political
mentor. England had well established
her sphere of influence" in the south
ern half of the empire, and Russia oc-
cupied a. like position in the north.
Between them these two powers were
in virtual control. Shuster's policy
WAS Persia for Persians," and he set
out to run things accordingly. He
lasted eight months and his reforms
faded quickly from the picture.
The war came along and Persia was
trampled under the feet of many
armies. The overthrow of the Car
and the rise OF bolshevism In Russia,
whatever it has meant for the rest of
the world, was a stroke of luck for
Persia. Forethe Soviet renounced all
claims, to special prerogatives in Per.
sia aIN concluded treaties granting
Perst8 &ulI control OF her own land and
asnsiand aid not let % its own hold