Page 177 - 8 Persian Trade rep Muscat 2_Neat

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A rough fair weather motor track lma been con­ Shipping.
structed to Swakim about 00 miles from Muscat.
It may be possible to continue this track to Sur. Steamer*.—The usual statement showing Ggures
is attached to this report. The principal steamship
lines which called at Muscat were as follows:—
Transport Rates by Car.
(1) The British India Steamship Navigation
Company, Ltd.
Names of Town*. So. of miles. Rate per trip.
(2) The Strict Line of Steamers.
(3) The EUennan and Bucknall Steamship
About R*. a. r. Co., Ltd.
(4) The Uansa Line of Steamers.
Muscat to Matrah . 21 1 8 0
„ Jliit-d-Falaj *1 2 4 0 162 steamers of all nationalities aggregating
„ Wutaiyab 10 3 12 0 G14.527 tons entered and cleared the port during the
Sib 36 13 0 0
lkrka 36 22 8 0 year ending 31st March 1932. Of these 136 with a
Musar* . 731 20 4 0 total tonnage of 451,155 were under British flag.
iSuuaif] . K7 30 0 0 26 German, Hansa Line vessels with a total tonnage
Khabera 110 37 0 0 of 160,372 entered and cleared the port.
Salta a . 128 32 8 0
Snhar 141 32 8 0 The British India Steam Navigation Company,
Kicb-eMfasa l»« GO 0 0 Limited, have maintained a weekly mail service
r? M u r a i r-d 102 73 0 0 both from Bombay and Basrah. The fast mail
Mol.r:sh.
service which was discontinued during the War
lies not been resumed since.
Sailwg Vessel.—131 sailing vessels ol all nationali­
Agriculture. ties with a t jtal tonnage of 17,167 entered and cleared
y'v • • .i i - i i (1i , tie port daring the year of which 125 were frbn
Date grow,eg the roal ,ndu«ry of the country. Briti^h Indj, 3%cislj’ £rom Iraq and 3 vessels from
ilT ££ "ith » — * of L and ISO respeo
Akhdar. Cereals are grown on a small scale and
could not be further developed owing to the limited Freight.
quantity of water. Cultivation of sugarcane in Freights ruling during the year were as follows
Jebel Akhdar and its environs has been successful.
Some of the tribesmen have imported crushing To Bombay and Karachi:—
machines from Lndia for the manufacture of jaggery. Ra. A. r.
Dry date* . . 10 0 per bag.
Population. . Wet dates . 0 12 0 „
Wet dates in cases . . 0 8 0 per cxie.
No regular census of the population of Muscat
and Matrah has ever been taken. It is therefore Dry fish in bundles . . 10 0 per bundle.
not possible to give exact figures. But it has recently Poraegrarute* in crates . 10 0 per crate.
been estimated at 12,580, riz., 4,340 are in Muscat Raw wool . 7 8 0 per bundle.
and 8,240 in Matrah. Owing to the dearth of trade Raw cotton . 3 8 0
the Indian trading community which inhabited the Cotton piece goods and
town of Muscat and handled 95 per cent, of trade woollen goods . 3 0 0 per bale.
have disappeared and almost all their business pre­ To Ceylon:—
mises arc empty and in ruins. The second port of Wet dates . 36 0 0 per 40 c.ft.
Matrah, which has conveniences and communica­ or 20 cwt.
tion with the interior of Oman, is now fairly well Dryfisb . . 36 0 0 Ditto.
populated and its trade is much improved.
To United States of America:—
£ s. d.
Wet dates in bog* and in
Public Health.
boxes . . 2 15 0 Ditto.
The climate of Muscat is somewhat trying, in To London:—
summer the weather is oppressive in May and June Wet dates in bags and
but July, August and the first half of September boxes .... 2 15 0 Ditto.
are not unpleasant tempered as they are by cool
monsoon breezes. R. G. E. W. ALBAN, Captaih,
The highest temperature recorded in the year was Political Agent and
114*8° and the lowest 51*3°. The total rainfall Bit Britannic Majesty $ Consul,
during the jeax was 1*16 inches. Muscat,