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(iii) Major J. J. Rooney, I.M.S., Chief Quarantine Medical Officer
in the Persian Gulf, arrived' from Bushirc on the 17th April on a tour of
inspection. lie left for headquarters on the 20th April.
(iv) Captain T. Iiickinbotham, Assistant Political Agent, visited
Sharjah on the 21st of April and Dubai on the 22nd returning to Bahrain
on the 23rd by Royal Air Force aeroplane.;
(v) The Political Resident in the Persian Gulf arrived from Bushire
by S. S. “Bamora” on the 10th July accompanied by Captain G. S. de Gaury
M.C., Political Agent, Kuwait, Major J. J. Rooney, I.M.S., Residency.
Surgeon, Mr. J. Croning, M.B.E., his Under Secretary and Mr. Fateh
Ali Shaikh, Assistant Engineer, Independent Persian Gulf Sub-Division.
The Political Agent, Kuwait, returned to Kuwait by air mail on the
24th July.
The Honourable Lieutenant-Colonel T. C. Fowlo, C.B.E., handed over
charge of the office of Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and His
Britannic Majesty’s Consul-General to the Honourable Lieutenant-Colonel
Gordon Loch, C.I.E., on the 25th July and' proceeded to the United King­
dom on short leave by the air mail of the 26th July.
On September 15th the Assistant Political Agent accompanied by the
Quarantine Medical Officer visited the Pearl Banks. The Quarantine
Medical Officer treated 44 cases of minor ailments. The Assistant Politi­
cal Agent went on board several of the diving vessels and distributed small
comforts. It was unfortunately too rough to visit as many boats as it had
been intended.
The Honourable Lieutenant-Colonel T. C. Fowle, C.B.E., arrived in
Bahrain on his return from leave from the United Kingdom on the 19th
October. He took over charge of the office of the Political Resident in
the Persian Gulf and His Britannic Majesty’s Consul-General from the
Honourable Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon Loch, C.I.E., and proceeded to
Bushire on the 25th October.
Mr. A. Croad, Superintending Engineer of the Central Public Works
Department, arrived from Delhi by Imperial Airways westbound aeroplane
on the 22nd and left for Delhi by the eastbound aeroplane on the 2Gth
October.
23. Visits of Arab Notables.—Nil.
24. Sa’itdi Arabia.—At the conclusion of a visit to Hasa early in the
year Ibn Sa’ud announced that a new tax ‘Jihad Tax’ was to be imposed on
all people not eligible for military service. Increased taxes were also im­
posed on sugar, tea and tobacco and anything connected with smoking.
Representations by the Amir of Hasa that the people were too poor to
pay jihad tax met with no success and some 70,000 dollars were collected
in spite of widespread discontent. Later in the year Hasa was exempted
from further taxation under this head. Further efforts were made during
the year to reorganize the various departments of the Hasa Provincial Gov­
ernment with a resultant frequent reshuffling of the heads of departments..
In particular difficulties were experienced in appointing financial officials
and Customs directors who are in the unfortunate position of having to
provide Ibn Sa’ud with funds.
Towards the end of the year it was reported that a new exaction
amounting to 150,000 dollars was being extracted from the merchants of
Hasa. About the same time it was also rumoured that His Majesty King
Ibn Sa’ud' had requested certain merchants, who had advanced the Sa’udi
Government money against Customs duty on their importation of general
merchandise, to forego 1/3 of their advances. The merchants are believ­
ed to have refused to agree to Ibn Sa’ud’s request.
25. Qatar.—At the beginning of the year rumours were current’ in
Bahrain that there had been trouble in Doha between Shaikh ‘Abdullah’

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