مجموعة ٦/ ٩ "تقارير جدة يناير ١٩٣١ -" [ظ‎‎٢‎٣] (٨٠٢/٤٧)

Red Sea at any rate, the Khedivial Mail Line is still to act as managing agents.
Whatever the word “ Pharaoh ” may connote to the Egyptians, at the centre of
Islam it immediately calls to mind the only Pharaoh mentioned in the Koran, who
oppressed Moses and is considered the very personification of wickedness.
319. Ibn Sand having advised the Syrian papers to maintain the best
possible attitude towards Turkey, His Majesty complained that the Turkish
newspapers were maintaining an anti-Arab attitude, to which he took exception.
His Majesty’s Ambassador to Turkey reported that he had not seen any example
of such an attitude in local papers, but communicated to the Turkish Government
Ibn Saud's complaint; the Turkish Government stated that they appreciated Ibn
Saud’s gesture with the Syrians, and would act in the sense indicated.
IV.— Miscellaneous.
320. One of the chief events of the month at the port of Jedda has been the
arrival of a large number of cars and lorries for Government account. The
forty Dodge cars referred to in paragraph 235 of the Jedda report for May have
arrived; fifty Krupp Diesel lorries and 200 Ford units, 100 lorries and 100 miscel
laneous passenger cars arrived by a German boat.
321. The unloading of this large number of units taxed the resources of the
Jedda port to the utmost and for some time after there was a shortage of lighters.
The channel from the roadstead to the shore is at one place very shallow and
appears to be silting up; with the low water-level prevailing now the number of
lighters which stuck there on the way to the quay was remarkable. The firm of
Alireza and Co. intend to propose to their confreres in the shipping agency
business that the Saudi Government should tackle the problem of dredging the
worst part of the channel; the present serious congestion would then be avoided.
322. The local press has published less and less about Palestine as the month
has progressed. The principal item about Palestine now is the correspondence
between committees of defence of Palestine founded at Mecca and Medina, with
similar bodies in Syria, Jerusalem, Egypt and Iraq.
323. The Medina paper Al Medina-al-Munawwara reports that a local
company is proposing to import from Belgium a machine for digging artesian
wells there. The total cost of the machine and parts will be £1,000 gold. Shereef
Muhammad Tahir is reported as subscribing half that amount and as volunteering
to bear all the risk of importing the machine.
324. Lady Abdul Qadir (see paragraph 288 of the Jedda report for July)
spent most of the month of August at Medina, where she found the air much more
pleasant than at Jedda. She was accommodated in a private house. She returned
to Jedda on the 25th August and went to Mecca for two days. Miss Clements
spent an uncomfortable month waiting for permission to visit the holy places of
the religion she professes, but technical difficulties were in the way and it became
quite evident that permission would not arrive for a long time. She found
accommodation in the house of a “ wakil ” very trying, ran away once to a
slightly more comfortable but less reputable house, but was evidently extremely
glad to be able to leave Jedda with Lady Abdul Qadir and party on the
29th August for Port Sudan.
325. It is reported that the Saudi Arabian Government have made a definite
contract with the Banque Misr, which will shortly begin to construct or repair
certain roads in the Hejaz. The road from Jedda to Mecca is to be made and
prolonged to Arafat; a few bridges and culverts will be built where floods are
likely. The section of the Medina road from Jedda to Rabigh will not be made
up as it is considered sufficiently passable already, but the section from Rabigh
to Medina is to be improved. The Banque Misr is also to arrange for the supply
of electricity to Mecca, and for a water supply. The total cost of these public
works is estimated at £250,000, the Saudi Arabian Government and the Egyptian
Government bearing the expense jointly by annual payments of £20,000 from each
party. The Egyptian instalment is to be paid from the Egyptian waqfs.
326. Four Indian men and one Indian woman are said to have been arrested
on the Medina road by the Saudi authorities and put in prison in Jedda; their
offence being that they had no papers of nationality and were destitute.
327. The Umm-ul-Qura reports great activity by the Legislative Assembly ;
about thirty-seven decisions were made, and amendments to the present
regulations about passports, nationality, labour and companies were considered.