Page 308 - PERSIAN 9 1941_1947

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VIII. STATS FINANCES*
Ho venue for the year 1943 was Rs. 19,60,143-2-0 against
Bs.7,44,000 budge tod aixl expenditure Rj *7,26,600 against
Rs.6,73,460 budgeted. The increase in receipts was mainly
from Customs duties and since imports were less in quantity,
those figures give an excellent indication of the increased
prices of imported goods. The Muscat Government is not alona
in profiting out of the War and it now has a reserve of about
24 lakhs.
The above figures do not include those for the valu­
able province of Dhofar, which the Sultan keeps strictly to
himself. The administration is also entirely in his hands.

IX. ROYAL NAVY.
The following His Majesty’s Ships visited Muscat
during the year :-
1) E.M.A.S. "Launceston'1 of the Royal Australian Navy,
corvette, and four motor launches, between 13th and 14th May.
2) H.M.S. "Capetown", on the 29th July.

3) H.M.I.S. "Impala", on the 9th October.
4) H.M.S. "Seabelle", on the 29th November, bringing the
Hon*ble the Political Resident, accompanied by Mr. T*E.
Rogers, Vice Consul, Bunder Abbas, on a visit.

X. ATT I-LOCUST OPERATIONS.
Mr. Maxwell Darling of the Middle East Anti-Locust
Mission arrived from Sharjah on the 1st January 1943 and
returned the next day.
The Indian Anti-Locust Mission visited the neighbour­
hood of Quriyat and the Batinah Coast and found no appreci­
able traces of breeding.
Mr. Vesey Fitzgerald, Locust Officer, visited the
Qara Hills (Salalah) during October. There were no signs of
breeding there.
XI. G^n^kAL.

Apart from work directly connected with the War, the
main labour of the Agency has been endeavouring to maintain
some flow of essential civil supplies and to stop profiteer­
ing. At one time, food grains presented unusual difficulty
and at the end of November Muscat was down to its last five
tons of wheat and barley, (sufficient for only a few hours).
At the same time, the internal price of dates had risen
steeply and urgent and drastic measures were required before
it was reduced. It is not too much to say that towards the
end of the year the pooror classes were very near to famine
conditions.

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