Page 193 - Historical Summaries (Persian Gulf - Vol II) 1907-1953

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rich, already important and very worthy of large development.” He made a
number of practical recommendations the first of which was the employment of
experts as fisheries officers. Efforts to obtain such experts from Aden and Pakistan
failed. The Foreign Office were then asked to assist and as a result of the enquiries
they made, Captain Kendall of Messrs. Chas. Kendall and Partners came forward
with a proposal to form a company for the development of the fisheries. He went
to Muscat and discussed with the Sultan the grant of a concession to a holding
company who would pass it on to another company to operate. The Sultan found
that Kendall’s intention was to obtain a monopoly and then sell it to the highest
bidder and refused to accept the proposal. Kendall on his side complained of the
unwillingness of the Sultan to make up his mind and of obstruction by vested
interests. Nothing came of the matter and no further action has yet been taken
on Dr. Bertram’s recommendations. A small concession for extracting shark oil
has however been given to a Bombay firm and in 1953 some Japanese firms were
reported to be showing an interest in the Gwadur fisheries. The vested interests
to which Kendall referred were represented chiefly by a Khojah called Haji
Bhacker who controlled most of the fish export trade from Muscat. He died in
1953. At one time he operated a fish-meal factory at Matrah but he later found it
more profitable to export the raw material to Europe for processing there.
27. Mr. Hartley who was serving as Agricultural Officer at Aden carried out
an agricultural survey of Dhofar in 1947 and of the Batinah at the end of 1949.
He reported that Dhofar was ideal for the production of certain kinds of fruit but
that there was no market for it. He recommended the lining of the water-channels
with concrete and the use of fertilisers, and advised against any ambitious scheme
for producing and refining sugar. The Sultan in 1949 asked His Majesty’s
Government to obtain for him the services of an agricultural officer for Dhofar
but when one was found for him he stated that he did not require him. In 1953 he
renewed his request. With regard to the Batinah Mr. Hartley reported that the
area under cultivation could be greatly extended if pumps were made available
to lift the water. He suggested that fruit and vegetables should be the chief crops
grown with a view to their supply to the oil companies. The Sultan agreed to the
purchase of a certain number of pumps and to the establishment of a farm of 200
acres near Sohar for experimental and demonstration purposes, and the consent
of the Government of Pakistan was obtained to the employment of one of their
agricultural officers. The whole scheme has however been abandoned for the time
being, possibly because the Sultan feels that he requires all his resources for dealing
with the situation created by the presence of Turki at Buraimi.
28. In 1946 the oil company despatched a water geologist to Muscat to report
amongst other things on the possibility of water development for the supply of
Muscat and Matrah towns. He carried out a brief survey and recommended that
the Sultan should take the advice of a firm of consulting engineers. This he did
and subsequently on the basis of the advice received elaborate schemes were
prepared by Messrs. Holloway Brothers for a piped water supply not only for
Muscat and Matrah but also for Sur. The Sultan found these too expensive.
Since then Woods Ballard has constructed a dam in a ravine in the hills above
Muscat which has had little effect on the water supply and apart from this nothing
has been done.
29. In 1952 the Sultan asked the United States Consul-General, Dhahran, for
Point IV aid. He was offered the sum of 100,000 dollars to cover the services of
mineralogical, agricultural and fisheries experts, who would carry out surveys, and
asked to sign an agreement accepting the conditions on which the aid was to be
afforded. He had not signed this by the end of 1953 and it is probable that he does
not wish to pursue the proposal as he has failed to reply to letters which the United
States Consul-General has written to him on the subject.
30. In 1952 the Minister for Foreign Affairs applied to the World Health
Organisation, of which Muscat is not a member, for assistance in anti-malarial
measures and the conservation of rain water, but in 1953 when they were ready
to send an advisory team to Muscat the Sultan put them off.(37)
31. The story of development in Muscat is a sad one. A number of surveys
have been carried out and reports written but nothing has been done partly because
of the difficulty of finding qualified experts willing to serve in Muscat on salaries