'File 61/13 I (D 133) Wahabis and Pilgrimage to Hedjaz' [‎66v] (144/431)

signed by twenty-six doctors, both natives and foreigners, including the Russian
doctor of the Soviet Legation who specialises m bacteriology and tropical
diseases. The Hejazi Government also laid ''s grievances before the French
Government, who transmitted the papers to the International Health Office. The
latter was embarrassed bv certain technical considerations, but gave qualified
approval to the action of the Alexandria Board as an emergency measure taken
in exceptional circumstances. The Health Office suggested that a formula might
be devised for future similar occasions, which would enable necessary precautions
to be taken without definitely declaring the pilgrimage infected. The incident
led to a suggestion being made unofficially on behalf of His Majesty s Govern
ment in the United Kingdom to the Hejazi Government that they would find
it useful to adhere to the Rome Convention of 1907, and thus secure permanent
representation in the International Health Office at I aris.
Suakin.
25. Following on the decision of the Alexandria Board, the Sudan Govern
ment also took precautionary measures to restrict the number of returning
pilgrims allowed to land in the Sudan. Those permitted to do so were subjected
to quarantine, normally for five days, at Suakin.
Jedda.
26. None of the pilgrim steamers was quarantined, with the exception of
an Italian boat which carried about 900 pilgrims from Hodeidah and had not
called at Kamaran. The pilgrims on board were sent to the Quarantine Islands,
where, it is understood, they were merely detained; no arrangements for
disinfecting their persons or effects were made. A few individuals suffering
from small-pox coming by other ships were not sent to the islands, but were
removed to the local hospital for treatment.
The local authorities on learning in June that Port Said was declared
infected with plague, tried to prevent pilgrims embarking on a Blue Funnel
steamer calling at Jedda on its way from Port Said to Singapore. The difficulty
was, however, got over by representations to the King.
There were again in 1930 only two official doctors for inspecting ships. It
was, therefore, not uncommon that considerable delay occurred to steamers, of
which the daily number on occasions reached as many as eight or nine, before
they were declared clean.
The quarantine yard at the quay in Jedda provided only limited accommoda
tion and seemed fully packed and overcrowded. Owing to the great congestion
the pilgrims had to struggle hard to pass through the little gates leading to the
custom-house. Here the dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. hire is collected and declarations of -choice of
mutawwifs (Su'al) taken before they are allowed to pass. The local authorities,
on the unofficial suggestion of the Indian vice-consul, opened a second gate. This,
however, did not prove quite adequate. The hardy and rowdy Persians and
Egyptians, caring little for the local rules and regulations, often upset every
arrangement, and tried to get through first at the expense of the pilgrims of a
less robust type. A handful of young and weak police constables posted there
could do nothing to control the situation and had often to fly for their own
safety. On many occasions the Indian vice-consul and his staff themselves had
to control the situation.
(4) Health.
27. This important subject has been dealt with in detail in previous years,
and it is gratifying to see that it is engaging the careful attention of the
authorities concerned.
28. In the Hejaz Administration itself, however, little improvement can
be noted. The following list taken from the Mecca weekly newspaper shows*
the attendance and mortality in the Government hospitals'for the ten months
ending December 1930.