Page 50 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920

40 PERSIAN GULF ADMINISTRATION REPORT

Messrs. Gray Raul and Company.'—Mr. D. Hart was in charge of. r
business up to the 1st September, when the firm withdrew their Europe?!
representative owing to slackness of trade due to the impossibility of forward
ing goods to the interior.
Mr. W. A. Baird arrived from Basrah and took charge of the flriu.
business temporarily on the 3rd Deoember. 8
Hindarabi firing case.—A serious case of firing on a Bushire boat laden
with goods consigned to Messrs. Gray Paul and Company of Lingah occurred
at the end of December 1911. The outrage was committed by inhabitants of
the Island of Hindarabi, subordinate to the Shaikh of Chiru, and, as he flatly
refused responsibility and redress, a demand for immediate settlement of the
case, or payment of a fine of Rs. 5,000, was presented to him at Chiru on the
10th March. The* fine was paid. This strong action brought the Shaikh to
his senses and he promptly agreed to imprison the Headman of Hindarabi
who was responsible for the firing. As the Shaikh of Chiru was subsequently
of good behaviour and friendly, the fine of Rs. 5,000 recovered from him, 1^
expenses for damage done and compensation amounting to Rs 228-4, was remit­
ted to him on the 23rd August.
Messrs. Robert Wonchhaus and Company.—Herr H. Rosenfeld has
been the only lepresentative of the firm at Lingah, throughout the year,
„ . . working even without a clerk, and he
oreign m ere® . acknowledges there is not sufficient busi­
ness doing by the firm to justify his existence. In the past their shipments
mainly consisted of some thousands of bags of small pearl oyster shells, and
during the year they have not been able to export a single bag.
Hamburg-Amerika line. - -During the year 11 steamers called at Lingah
on the outward voyage from Hamburg, bringing 4,410 packages, out of which
1,200 packages were for Messrs, iray Paul and Company. Only one steamer
called on the homeward voyage, shipments for Hamburg being effected by
outward bound steamers, amounting to only 1,231 packages of, chiefly, grain
and dates. This reduced quantity of cargo carried to and from Lingah by
German ships during the year is but 42 per cent. * of the previous year’s
figures, and only 32 per cent, of the amount carried in 1910.
Russian Steam Navigation and Trading Company.—Four steamers,
outward bound from Odessa, called during the year and landed 7,443 packages,
almost entirely Kerosene oil and vermicelli, compared with 828 packages in
the previous year.
Only two of these steamers called on the homeward voyage, taking 775 pac­
kages, principally tobacco for Aden, while 1,173 packages were shipped in the
previous year.
Two of the Russian ships which called early in the year were boycotted
in consequence of Russian action in the north.
Surveyors.—Two Russian subjects, natives of Samarkand, who arrived
overland from the. direction of Bandar Abbas, in December, were observed
to be surveying in the vicinity of Lingah. They travelled in the interior for
about ten days and returned by land to Bandar Abbas
Foreign Residents.—The following is a list of subjects and proteges of
-other Christian Powers residing at Lingah:—
Belgian.—Monsieur I. Collette, Director of Customs.
German.—Herr H. Rosenfeld, Manager of Messrs. R. Wonckhaus an^
Company. He is aged 25 years and joined the firm in 1906.
German.—Haji Ali Umar, native assistant of Mepsrs. Robert Wonck­
haus and Company, a Muhammadan of about 35 years of age*
who claims to be a pure German; but, according to rumour, n
was born at Algiers of mixed parents, his mother being
German and his father a Moor. He came-to Lingaji
Jeddah in 1900 and joined Herr Wonckhaus, when he n
opened a business here.
224 F D.