مطرح - اقتراح لجعلها ميناء لتزويد السفن البخارية باحتياجاتها بدلاً من مسقط" [و‎‎١‎١] (٥٦/٣٤)

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similar trading port of the Gulf.
00 The cost of hoat hire to Matrah at a little
over 3 annas per hag as shown h:/ Kr 0 ills is not strictly in
accordance with the facts, host of the hatrah merchants have
their own "boats and can he trusted to run things much more
cheaply than this. At the same time whatever the cost it
would doubtless he saved "by 1'atrah merchants if the 33.1,
Ship called at Hatrah instead of I'uscat,
(l) As regards the Landing Charges of " annas per
hag and 6 annas per case charged hy Ehan Baha^dur ITasih
I have always regarded these rates as sli htly excessive.
They had however heen operating for tvio years before I came
here and the contract has still two years to run. But it is n(
not strangulation of trade or anythiag like it: the reduc
tion of say an anna per hag would he a mere bagatelle,
hr. hills remark " that the- c? arge would result in landing
charges "being reduced hy half " is anticipating. In point
of fact the B.I. Ship would lave to anchor futher fro: t: i
shore at hatrah than she does at Muscat. The landing charges
therefore
to he Iocs than they are woulh^presumahly he in hands other
fthai. than those of Khan Bahadur ITasih. .And this I suspect
I"
is v crucial point, hespers who recently took over the direct
work of the Agency here from the old Established native
company - Towell & Go,, may reasonably be expected to wish
to have the Uuscat landing contract in their own hands too.
Indeed this is the history of events at Gwadur. There the
B.I. Company in fact asked for the Landing Contract as a
matter of right: and the State- nominated contractor
(not their Agent) was Suueezect out by the Company though it
is only fair to add, by my connivance. In this connection
I cuote from a letter I wrote to Colonel Orosthwafte at the
time i.e. 15th December 1925
" As regards landing charges, it is true that
ls ther 3were collected by 1 essrs howjee & Sons
" the late Agents (B.I.) but it was due to abuses