Page 149 - 8 Persian Trade rep Muscat 2_Neat

3

A rough fair weather motor track has bc'vn con­ Shipping.
structed t<» ewabim. -lout 30 miles, from Muscat. Steamers.—Tin* u‘ ual stutiMm.nt uhowiig figure? is
It m.y be t vj.’w tj continue this track to Sur. attached to this report. The principal .«• team-bun
lines which called nt Muscat wore as foiiovrs :—
iV ;iy;rc.1 lottos by Car.
(1) Tl.c British India Steamship Navigation
Company, Ltd.
Nat.*: vl rwti No. of iniM. Hite p r trip. (2) The Strick Line of Steamers.
(3) The Ellcrman and Bucknall SU-inuship Co.,
Ltd.
A WU*. It*, a. r.
l * o (4) The Ilansa Line of Steamers.
2*
,. ...Vi. .*i - 10 s o <■
2i 1 ”. 0 0 139 steamers of all nationalities aggregating
I* 0 <1
.. u •r JO SO 0 n 402,007 tons entered and cleared the port during
:: a '. •i '10 2 ' H 0 the year ending 31st March 1931. Of these 123
„ .. It r-i SO .V1 r> <• with a total tonnage of 303,033 were under British
n ::k.v: : 200 ' r< <• I' flag. 14 (ierman i Luisa Line vessels a total
j K<* 0 0
tonnage of 93,912 entered and cleared the port.
The British India Steam Navigation Company,
Agriculture.
Limited, have maintained a weekly mail service both
Date growing is the real industry of the conntry. from Bombay and Basrah. The fast m.iil eorvjoe
Limes and ming«K-s arc also successfully grown which was discontinued during the \Tar has cot
while prom* granules are the products of the Jebol been resumed since.
Akhdar. Cereals are grown on a small scale and Sailing Vessels.—273 sailing vessels of all national­
could not be Luther developed owing to th" limited ities with a total tonnage, of 33,422 entered and
quantity of w .tor. Owing to good raiiJali during clcaicd the port duriug the year, of which 234 were
the year, c.Torfes were made to cultivate wheat ex­ from British India, 10 vessels from ’Iraq and 8 vessels
tensively. But unfortunately when the wheat was from Africa witu a total tonnage of 31.546, 1.396
in car parasites and ruit destroyed the whole crops and 480, respectively.
throughout. Cultivation of sugarcane in Jcbcl
Akhdar and its environs has been successful. Some
of the tribesmen have imported crushing machines Freight.
from India lor the manufacture of jaggery. Freights ruling during the year were as follows
Per ton.
Population. Rs. a. r. K*.
No regular census of the population of Muscat To Bombay and Karachi;—
and Matrab has ever been taken. It is therefore Dry dales 14 0 prr bag 15
not possible to give exact figures. But it has Wet dales . 0 10 0 .. box 15 (24 UiM).
recently been estimated at 12,580, viz., 4,340 are 10 0., brig 15
in Muscat and 8,2*0 in Matrab. Owing to the Dry fish iu bundles 10 0,, bunJle.
dearth of trade the Indian trading community which Pomegranates . 1 8 0 „ crate.
. 7
Raw wool
inhabited the town of Muscat and handled 95 per Haw cotton . . 3 8 0 „ bundle.
cent, of the trade have disappeared and almost all 8 0 ,, n
their business premises are empty and in ruins. Colton piece goods . 3 0 0 „ bale.
The second port of Matrah, which has conveniences To Ceylon :— .30 0 0 of 40 «. ft. cc JO cn.
Wet dates
and communication with the interior of Oman, is
now fairly well populated and its trade is much Dry fish . 3tt O 0 Duw.
improved. To United States oI
America:— £ t. d.
Wet dates in bags
Public Health. and in boxes .301 Ditto.
The climate of Muscat is somewhat trying, in To Loodoa:—
trimmer the weather is oppressive in May and June Wet dates in bags
but July, August and the first half of Scpteml>er and boxes . .330 Ditto.
are not unpleasant tempered as they are by cool
monsoon breezes.
The highest temperature recorded in the year was ^CiMinr,
114° and the lowest 51-6°. The total rainfall during Political Agent and His Britannic Majors Consol,
the year was 4 53 inches. Muscat,