Cartridge Counting

Successful in Afghanistan, the Mohammedan mullahs (priests) of Near Asia have spread their reactionary revoltings to neighboring Persia. Black-fezzed and bearded, they last week shouted in Persian market places that Shah Reza Khan Pahlavi is trying to Europeanize Persia, debauch her youth, rob her people. Always ready for a fight, nomadic Arabs in South Persia rose in revolt, tried to draw into the fray the dreaded Bakhtiari, fiercest of Persian tribes.

No fool is Shah Reza of Persia. Fifteen years ago he was an insignificant private in Tsar Nicholas II's Cossack garrison in Persia. By persistent, painstaking banditry he terrorized the Persian Majlis (Assembly) into making him Minister of War, Prime Minister, Dictator and finally Shah-inshah, King of Kings, ruler of the Peacock Throne.

Whatever his aims, he remains a good soldier. In a dusty grey motor he rushed, last week, from arsenal to arsenal through Persia, counting cartridges. At Teheran he beamed as shiny new bombing planes, just purchased from Berlin, landed on the flying field. Wasting no time, he despatched the bombers to blow up the sheep and the goats, the oxen and asses of the rebellious Arabs in an effort to cut off their chief food source. He inspected a fleet of armored cars for hill-fighting.

Late in the week rebels captured the village of Fasa Niris, advanced on winemaking, goat-smelling Shiraz. Undismayed, Shah Reza continued counting cartridges, sent a telegram to Forughi Khan, his astute, warlike Ambassador at Constantinople, offering him the post of Persian Prime Minister to return and help put down the revolt.

Rebellion in Persia is far more vital to

Western business than trouble in Afghanistan. Interest in Afghanistan is largely speculative. Persia contains some of the largest, richest oil deposits in the Near East. Last week in the prayers of many a British and U. S. oil tycoon, the name of Shah Reza led all the rest.