Coll 30/9 'Persian Gulf: Administration Reports 1926-1938' [‎205r] (414/1028)

2 State Finance .—The opening balance at the commencement of the year
showed a working credit of Rs. 1,65,737-11-0. This figure excludes however debts
due by the State to local creditors, which amount to Rs. 90,744 V ery little
effort has been made by the State to meet these debts and, although d was
hoped to bring about a satisfactory solution for payment of the major creditor,
(K. B. Mohammad Nassib & Son) for reasons which do not fall within the scope
of this report, the State has hitherto failed to honour its liabilities m this con
nection.
A proposal for the temporary continuance of the Arms Traffic subsidy is
under conideration.The loss of this subsidy to the State will be much felt at
this juncture and will still further postpone the payment of outsandmg debts
and the introduction of education and other desirable reforms.
The increase of import duty on certain commodities agreed to by some of
the Government’s in Treaty Alliance with the State has afforded some im-
nrovement in Customs Revenues derived from those particular lines. his at
vantage however has been considerably set off by the decrease m the general
value of imports, as related in Part I of this report.
An unfortunate aspect of the tightening up of the Customs and Revenues -
admitlstra m“heen“he extortionate demands that are reported to have |
administration ntus no Revenues, which in some cases would appeal
been imposed by t particularly applicable to the Batinah coastal towns ;
d hTl l^er ffLt hi Gwadur In tire former case the method of taxation is ;
driving both traders and the holders of smaller date plantations to abandon then
concerns and to seek refuge elsewhere.
the oAhet^ ^ ^
always golden, have at any rate sustained the State.
, AT , T , hr qr . rinfr of 1935 the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. , during a visit to Muscat too^
(Note—In the opim^, o .. affairs to the Sultan, who had been absent
KTalTi^lXTr^emonths.
Db^for'fCurioms'andRevrmiTinXiuture, and would visit the Batinah area to in
vestigate personally the conditions prevailing there.)
8 . Evenls ./ Political « ? «1 »' K.'
reconnaissance mentioned in ai exnedition on each occasion. For the
StaiyM'SltXb Wn Fals"appoiuted and for the second His Highness’s
choice fell on Saiyid Mahmud bin Faisa . ... .
the SmoTremo^p^r” of the
Sultanate, whichj'^ e ^^ 0 ^i 1 ose^para'mou™influenTOorUhe SouthEast
Sultan bin Mohd. el MagaUof h midSc.uqrah was immediately apparent.
littoral of the Sultanate between Masi hi t h erto been unknown to
srasaw sw ss-: - "•
derive considerable political bene • yailg on the Bat inah coast both
(b) Much uneasiness and disc . f the methods of taxation and to the
among British and Muscati subjects r f Rations by the Director of Customs
alleged constant issue of new rules ana re B
and Revenue. difficultv in obtaining justice at the
On all sides eamplaints_are heard of ^ ^ expericnce of certain cases
bands of the Muscat authorities. Cei m J ]it;eal Agent) there would appear
affecting British subjects complaints and justice whether at the
a discount. , v 0 nuse to voice a nro-
(O During the.course of the year^he^We^ ^ to Gwadur and 0 f
test at the unauthorised vi. it o tl offioials .
the seizures of a Musca i • d; Importance has been reported