Page 710 - PERSIAN 8 1931_1940_Neat

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" 4. Oil concessions, (a) Muscat Oil.—Owing to world conditions no work lias
*
been done and further exploration has been postponed for the time being.
(b) Gwadur Oil.—There has been no change in the situation since last year.
5. Judicial.—Judicial matters form the subject of a separate report.
0. Trade.—The following table shows the total imports and exports during the
year 1939-40 as compared with the figures for the previous year :—
Year. Imports. Exports.
Rh. CVS.
1938- 39 48,7G,193 33,31,939
1939- 40 4G,49,705 31,55,795
It will be seen that while during the year 1939-40 imports have decreased by
Rs. 2,26,428 exports have increased by Rs. 1,23,856.
The principal articles of import were rice and piece-goods and those of export
were dry and wet dates and dried fish. Japan remained the chief supplier of piece-
goods, matches and cement, and India supplied practically the whole of the
cereals.
7. Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, (a) Royal Navy.—No ships of the Royal
Navy visited Muscat during the year.
(b) Royal Air Force.—The Royal Air Force maintained their wireless station
at Muscat throughout the year. The staff at present consists of three European
operators. The station is in direct wireless communication with Shaibah and
Habbaniyah in Iraq. Visits of Royal Air Force aircraft to Muscat are given in
Appendix “ A ” to this report.
8. Aviation.—No machines of the K. L. M. Company or the Air France Company
landed at Gwadur during the year and there is no indication that the former com­
pany intends to ask for the renewal for 1941 of the special authorisation granted for
1940.
9. French Interests.—The French Consulate remained closed throughout the
year.
10. Missionary Work.—The Missionary work of the American South Arabian
Mission (The Dutch Reformed Church of the United States of America) has been
carried on by the Rev. & Mrs. Dykestra. They left for their usual hot weather visit
to South India in September and returned in November. Dr. W. W. Thoms
remained in charge of the medical side of the Mission at their hospital at Matrah.
The Mission have continued to pay visits to Birkah where Dr. Thoms attends
“ Out-Patients ” at the Mission hutment.
In November Dr. Thoms visited Jobcl Akhdar at the invitation of Sheikh
Suleiman bin Hamiyar to attend a relative of the Sheikh who had been gored by a
bull. The Rev. D. Dykestra accompanied him and the visit appears to have been
generally successful. The Sultan was annoyed that the visit was paid without his
permission and has restricted the touring of the members of the Mission to the
Batinah coast region.
An X-Ray apparatus has been installed in the Mission hospital at Matrah.
11. Slave Trade.—During the year thirty-two slaves applied for manumission
certificates and twenty-three slaves where manumitted. Of the thirty-two
applicants eighteen were captured slaves (of whom twelve were manumitted) and
the remainder were domestic slaves.
No case of slave trading has been reported and the Batinah area has been
particularly quiet. This is due to the interest taken in the suppression of the trade
by the Sultan and frequent touring by the Political Agent. Any diminution in
these activities to suppress the trade would result in an immediate recrudescence.
12. Weather.—The total rainfall during the year was 2*91 inches. The lack
of rain was felt throughout the year and the local drinking water supply was
unpleasantly salt. Many wells have dried up and the authorities are concerned at
the prospect of a serious shortage.
As an experimental measure a dam has been constructed in the Wadi al Kabir
with the object of testing the porosity of the Wadi bed to see if water would remain
for a sufficient time to warrant the construction of a dam sufficiently high to retain
enough water for the population for four to five months thus conserving the supply
from the wc|ls. The dam was filled during rain storm in December but more time
must elapse before the. result nf the, experiment is known.