مجموعة ٦/ ٩ "تقارير جدة يناير ١٩٣١ -" [ظ‎‎٣‎٢‎٧] (٨٠٢/٦٥٥)

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30. On the 15th February His Majesty’s Minister reviewed with His
Majesty’s High Commissioner for Transjordan the most important, from a
Jerusalem point of view, of the matters discussed on the previous days at Amman.
Sir A. Ryan left Jerusalem on the 16th for London, whither he had been
unexpectedly summoned for consultation by His Majesty’s Government.
Export of Cereals.
31. The Hejaz-Nejd Government drew the Legation’s attention in January
to reports they had received of some sort of an embargo on trade from Trans
jordan into Nejd. After enquiry had been made of Jerusalem, they were
informed that an embargo had been placed on the export from Transjordan of
cereals, irrespective of their destination, and that the order had been necessitated
by internal prices in Transjordan, but might be removed in the future. The
Hejazi Government replied in March that they appreciated these motives, but
hoped that it might now be possible to remove the prohibition against their own
subjects.
I bn Hamdan.
32. At the instance of the High Commissioner for Transjordan, the Hejaz-
Nejd Government’s serious attention was drawn in February to an unfriendly
incident of the 28th December, staged on the frontier by Nejdi troops under the
command of one Ibn Hamdan. They had apparently approached four
Transjordan Arab Legionaries who were encamped in Transjordan territory,
executed a war dance before them, and fired at an improvised target; they had
then drawn closer and scrutinised the Legion camp through field-glasses. His
Majesty’s Charge d’Affaires protested against this unwarranted and unfriendly
action on the part of armed forces under the control of the Hejaz-Nejd Govern
ment, asked for a full enquiry, and suggested that in the interests of friendly
relations they should inform him of the action taken to punish those rseponsible.
33. In conversation with His Majesty’s Charge d’Affaires in March, the
Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs seemed disposed to argue that the
Transjordan Legionaries had been camped in Nejd territory, but he promised a
full investigation and an early reply. No reply has yet been received.
MacDonnell Investigation.
34. His Majesty’s Minister followed up the earlier representations recorded
in paragraph 35 of the last Jedda report by speaking emphatically to the Under
secretary for Foreign Affairs on the 11th January about the refusal of the Hejaz-
Nejd Government to bear their share of the costs of the MacDonnell Investigation.
He strongly advised them to reconsider their attitude without awaiting the
reaction of His Majesty’s Government to their note of the 28th November,
hinting that otherwise the reaction might be very disagreeable. On the
17th January Fuad Hamza wrote semi-officially to say that His Majesty the King
had given his gracious command to the effect that no objection should be raised
to the payment of the sum and that he sanctioned its payment to the British
Government, with thanks. The sum has not, of course, been paid, and is unlikely
to be paid until item 5 of the budget ” is financed (see paragraph 8 above). The
sum in question is £1,726 7s. 8c?.
The Beni Atiya.
35. The movement of Beni Atiya into Transjordan foreseen by Captain
Glubb last summer (see paragraph 37 of the Jedda report for September-October)
actually took place in February, when some 250 tents moved northward over the
frontier. Their motive, however, was apparently rather to find grazing than to
escape punishment, although they seem to have deserved it—unless, indeed, it be
true, as suggested by Captain Glubb last year, that they had received carte-
blanche from Ibn Saud to raid, in order to dissuade disaffected Hejazi tribes
further south from making northward for Transjordan through the Beni Atiya
dira. No rain at all is said to have fallen this year in the Northern Hejaz between
its northern frontier and a point some 50 miles south of Taima, so that the Beni
Atiya, together with the Huweytat-at-Tihama and the Billi, moved both north
and south from their normal diras in search of grazing.