File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [‎202v] (409/898)

-
■ : mt iif
I ill l.ilin L
i 1 - ! i i l !
1 \:h ’
i; 1 )
2
the regulation whereby pilgrims must be removed within twenty-five days of their
arrival at Jeddah whereas, under the deposit system, they would have every
incentive to provid^ as much shipping as possible lest the pilgrims they brought to
Jeddah return on the ships of rival companies. The presence m Jeddah for even
twenty days of 6,000 Indians clamouring for a ship, or, m lieu thereof maintenance
at the 7 expense of this agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. , is a source of very grave annoyance to all persons ^
concerned They petition the King, they petition the agent they make night and
day hideous with their complaints, and they avail themselves to the u 1 of the time-
honoured privilege enjoyed by Indian pilgrims oi using the precincts of this agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
as a latrine, to the offence of all sense of decency and smell.
5. A statement of the shipping situation to date m so far as it concerns British
Indians absorbed so-much of the attention and energy of every
one in the Hejaz, that all other matters have perforce had to stand over for
consideratmnjvhen^time^perniits.^^^ ^ the 400 odd Russian pilgrims succeeded
in introducing any Bolshevik propaganda, or that they even tried to do so. The
so-called trade exhibition was not a success, there were samples o ussian
specialities, such as samovars and caviare, but the bulk oi the exhibits were for sale
on the open market—hundreds of yards of cloth quite unsaleable at this ime o
the year, and a vast amount of flour which found a ready enough sa e.
8 Interest and excitement were caused by the arrest on the 4th June of the
notorious Javanese Communists, Raginda Tangsi and Mohammed balleh Dardom,
with seven others. They were found to be spreading seditious ideas among their
compatriots; they had even intended to set up their own printing press to facilitate
the spread of Communistic propaganda.
9. The account of the meeting of Ibn Sand with his tribesmen given in
paragraph 4 of the Jeddah report for May was culled from the Um-ehKura _
Confidential information which has since become available puts a ditlerent
complexion on the affair. The heads of certain tribes, among which were the
Ibn Hamid and Fesil-el-Dervish, refused to attend the meeting called by the Ring.
Ibn Sand, therefore, instructed Ibn Jalwi, Governor of El Hassa, to endeavour to
find some means of propitiating the more fanatic of the tribesmen, the hostile
tribes were eventually calmed, but at the expenditure of ten lives m a preliminary
skirmish, a payment’ of £80,000 (the sum is probably exaggerated), and agiit o
eighty horses. It is, moreover, supposed that Ibn Sand’s refusal to allow the Mahmal
to visit the Heiaz was also dictated by the fear of reprisals by these fanatics.
10. An article in the “ Um-el-Kura ” of the 17th instant commenting on
current rumours as to the strained relations between Nejd and Yemen states that
relations are good and that friendly communications are being exchanged hy me
King and the Imam. There were, however, certain outstanding questions relating
to the frontier dividing the two countries which had to be settled; the King ha ,
therefore, sent a delegation composed of Abdul Wahab Abu Melha (Director o
Finance in Asir), Said Ibn Abdul Aziz Ibn Musheit and Abdullah Ibn Turki lb
Mahdi to Yemen. The “ Um-el-Kura ” also reports the appointment oi baieh id
A bd-el-Wahed as Ibn Sand’s representative to the Idrissi.
11. It was officially announced in the “ Um-el-Kura ” of the 24th mstan
the Turkish representative in Jeddah had assumed charge of Afghan mteres s
the Heiaz. Suleiman Shefket Bey had informed his colleagues of his assump
of this charge on the 19th May. The change has not relieved the British agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
any way; in fact, it has increased our troubles. The Afghans, m additi
bringing the usual complaints of loss of tickets, destitution, and lack oi sJll PP
now complain of their treatment at the hands of the Turkish representative.
is no member of the Turkish staff who can understand any language w Y . i
Afghan can speak; the assistance they render to the pilgrims is theretore i
to charging them the Turkish visa fee of 20 gold francs.
12. The supply of silver coinage has proved insufficient during this UU .g
season, and the Government have invited Messrs. Gellatly, Hankey, and Mr.
to tender for the supply by the Royal Mint of 200,000 mejidiehs and 50,000 hail,
100,000 quarter, mejidiehs. t -k r + 100 miles
13. A wireless reception station has been erected at Lith, abom i
south-east of Jeddah. , Aptinff
14. Sheikh Yussuf Yassin, editor of the lC Um-el-Kura _ and lU t ; ne
Director for Foreign Affairs in the Hejaz, has left for Egypt, Syria and Daiesu