The Tariff Dispute at Karavansaray Aksaray

≈ 6 min

Mehmed Şükrü Efendi has submitted his autumn quarter caravan freight ledger to the Imperial Customs and Revenue Office in Konya, listing the freight charges he collected on six consignments passing through the Aksaray karavansaray between 1 Eylül and 30 Eylül 1306 (September 1890). The Revenue Office pays a commission rebate to licensed brokers equal to a fixed portion of lawful tariff charges collected, so any inflation of those charges would yield Şükrü Efendi a larger rebate. A junior müfettiş has flagged the ledger for review and asks the auditor: does any line state a freight rate inconsistent with the governing tariff schedule, and if so, which document provides the proof?

The scene

Karavansaray counting house on the Konya–Aksaray road, Ottoman Anatolia, 1890

Source documents

Imperial Road-Freight Tariff Schedule, Konya Vilayet, 1306 (1890)
Waybill No. 47, Ereğli to Aksaray, 13 Eylül 1306
Letter from Tarsus Merchant Vasil Kazantzidis to Konya Revenue Office, 4 Teşrin-i Evvel 1306
Licensed Broker Register, Konya Revenue Office, 1306

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