Page 183 - Historical Summaries (Persian Gulf - Vol II) 1907-1953

170
(/) Red Oxide

isSJrffom whichmui ssssss'.i'ks'&w.s' °f s,"'i’" p™ “

. J5-7.’ In lP5. !hc Ruler granted a concession to Commander Bayldon to mine
red oxide on the islands of Bu Musa and Sir Bu Nair on payment of Rs. 6,000/-
down and Rs. 2/- per ton royalty. The agreement (Appendix P (i)) was to remain
m Iorce lof 21 years subject to the payment of royalty of not less than Rs. 2 000/-
a year. The concession was worked by a company entitled the Golden Valley
Ochre and Oxide Company Ltd. (later known as Golden Valley Colours Ltd.). The
grant of the Concession evoked strong protests from the Persian Government who
claim the ownership of Bu Musa. It was accompanied by a supplementary
agreement (Appendix P (ii)) covering a few points which had not been included in
the main agreement.
158. The company worked the concession on the two islands until 1953 with
an interruption of several years during the war and exported substantial quantities
of red oxide. In 1953 having obtained a concession for some of the Abu Dhabi
islands they discontinued operations on Bu Musa and Sir Bu Nair to the great
annoyance of the Ruler of Sharjah. They have not given him notice of the
abandonment of their concessions. He has brought a number of complaints
against them in respect of matters relating to the concession and to a separate
concession for the quarrying of stone on Bu Musa which they obtained from him.
159. In 1952 the company obtained a concession for the Tamb Islands from
the Ruler of Ras al Khaimah on payment of Rs. 9,000/- down with a royalty of
Rs. 4/- per ton subject to a minimum annual payment of Rs. 2,000/-. The
concession was abandoned in the following year, apparently because the deposits
of ore in the islands were considered not worth working, without any formal notice
being given to the Ruler.
160. In 1953 the company obtained a concession from the Ruler of Abu
Dhabi “ for all the territory owned or controlled by him,” but he specified eight
islands (not including Halul) in which they might operated"5) The concession
stipulates for the payment of a rental of Rs. 25,000 a year and royalty at Rs. 10/-
per ton with a minimum of Rs. 40,000 a year conditional upon sufficient labour
being available. The company is permitted to cancel the concession if it is of the
opinion that there is not sufficient red oxide available to permit the extraction of
4,000 tons a year.(,4#)

(k) Anti-Locust Measures
161. Trucial Oman and the country to the south of it are regarded as a danger
spot from the point of view of locust-breeding. The Pakistan Government sent an
anti-locust team to the Trucial Coast in 1949 and at the end of that year the Desert
Locust Survey took over responsibility for dealing with the area. Since then they
have had one or more officers regularly stationed at Sharjah. Their parties have
visited most of Trucial Oman and before the arrival of Turki at Hamasah penetrated
south of Buraimi. In 1950 two of their officers were looted by the Shihuh in
Ras al Khaimah territory but most of the property was recovered by the Ruler.
Otherwise they have not been involved in any incident. They have, however,
encountered much opposition from the tribesmen to the use of poison-bait for the
destruction of hoppers owing to the belief that the bait is also injurious to animals.
This matter has been taken up with the Trucial States Council, and it is believed
that the prejudices of the tribesmen have now been overcome. Except at Buraimi
locusts can do little damage in the Trucial States owing to the absence of cultivation
and they are welcomed by the population as an addition to their food supply. The
object of the Desert Locust Survey is to locate the breeding-grounds and destroy
the hoppers in order to prevent swarms developing which will do damage elsewhere.

(>“) I.O. to F.O. P.Z. 2795/34 of May 15. 1934 (E 3246/3246/91 of 1934).
(,4S) P.R. to F.O. 1542/8/53 of May 8. 1953 (EA 1543/4 of 1953).
(,44) The Company abandoned the concession early in 1954.