"ملف ١٠/XXVIII تقرير عن الأوضاع الحالية في مسقط وتعاملات الولاية مع القبائل التابعة لها اسميًا." [و‎‎٥] (١١٨/٩)

Letter from the Hon’ble the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf,
Bushire, No. 418-S. (Confidential), dated the 20th July 1924.
With reference to your memorandum No. 749-X., dated the 17th April 1924
fSer. (13)], I have the honour to forward herewith for the information of the
Government of India a copy of letter (No. C.-15-R., dated 9th June 1924) from the
Political Agent, Muscat, on the subject of the finances of the Muscat State.
2. Since my arrival in April last I have had no opportunity of visiting Muscat
or of consulting the Political Agent at length on the difficult question of the State
finances.
3. As far as I am able to judge from a perusal of the records the view of the
situation taken by Major Hinde in his letter is a reasonable though admittedly un
favourable one. It is evident that unless means are found to increase the revenues
the Muscat State will be insolvent in a very short time.
4. Of the proposals, both for reduction of expenditure and increase of revenue,
hitherto submitted to the Government of India and provisionally accepted by them
in your memorandum under reference, the attempted increase in Excise licenses.
Municipal and Camel Taxes has produced an almost insignificant result; the reduc
tion of the Sultan’s privy purse has proved impracticable—the proposal [Ser. (12)]
having been made under a misapprehension; the reduction of the Muscat Levy
Corps below a strength of 200 appears inadvisable owing to the Sultan’s entire
dependence on it for authority of any sort outside the local limits of Muscat town,
and finally Mr. Bower’s deputation or the appointment of a British Officer as Finance
Member of the Muscat Council can hardly be expected to produce any immediate
result in the required direction.
5. It is very unfortunate that circumstances beyond our control have prevent
ed us till now from finding a suitable Financial Adviser for the State.
6. We would have been delighted to have Mr. Bower last January, but he could
not postpone his leave to England. The Sultan asked [Ser. (12)] in March for a
Mr. Murray of Iraq ; we were told in April that this officer was medically unfit.
We were then offered by Sir H. Dobbs a Mr. Monk, Director of Customs at Basra
who however could only join in November. Then Sir A. T. Wilson recommended to
qs a Mr. B. S. Thomas, O.B.E., now Assistant British Representative in Trans-
Jordania, who could reach Muscat for duty about September next. This gentle
man has taken short leave from Amman and has interviewed me. He is now in
India where he will see the Sultan and Major Hinde. He was formerly a District
Revenue Officer in Iraq and has a very good reputation as an all-round capable
man. Unfortunately he has done no Customs work.
7. I was expecting to be in a position in a few days’ time to submit to you Mr.
Thomas’ name as the most suitable candidate for Muscat we can find.
In the meantime, however, I have received your telegram No. 749-X., dated
the 11th July 1924 [Ser. (15)] offering Mr. Bower’s services from 1st December.
I am discussing this proposal with the Political Agent and will telegraph my
views very shortly.
8. Major Hinde has deprecated Mr. Bower’s deputation “ on the ground of
insufficient scope.” I am inclined to think that the Political Agent may be under
estimating the possibilities of improvement which a Customs expert can devise,
and that if Mr. Thomas can retain his present appointment at Amman until, say,
next April, it will be most advantageous that we should entrust the re-organization
of the Customs at least to Mr. Bower, and then employ Mr. Thomas—if in the
meanwhile he has found favour with the Sultan—to carry on the good work.