Persian Planners The Oil Commission of the Persian Mejlis•has another
fort- night in which to produce a detailed scheme 'for the nationalisa- tion of the oil industry. The time allowed it to fulfil its task was absurdly short, and even if the members of the commission had the highest technical ability they could not hope to do more than outline the way in which they think the oil industry ought to develop. The two plans which have so far been submitted to them really do little more than pass responsibility on to a more broadly-based committee ; little or nothing has so far emerged about how the Persians propose to find the capital needed to take over the oil company's assets, or what changes if any, are contemplated in the general direction of the com- pany's work. It has, however, apparently been suggested that Persia's oil should continue to serve the same markets as before. This is gratifying, though in view of the fact that the distribution of the oil is undertaken by a subsidiary of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, and the world shortage of tankers hardly allows for alternative methods of distribution, the concession is not unexpected. Sooner or later the Persian Government will have to resume discussions with the oil company ; and, the right moment for this will presumably be when the Oil Commission has concluded its labours and when the strikers at. Abadah have returned to work. By then there shOuld, barring accidents, he a comparatively peaceful interlude ; in the present state of affairs a few weeks of calm would probably do more good than a year of argument. There are certain signs that the extreme nationalists, who started all the trouble, are growing alarmed at the direction it is taking, and have begun to realise that these angry crowds of strikers are the labour force which, if their dreams come true, they will one day have to control.
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