Page 296 - 8 Persian Trade rep Muscat 2_Neat

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exported to Aden, Zanzibar and Ea«t Africa. The Employment.—-Un-employment in the main towss
weaving is don«o on hand looms in various Ealuch of Muscat and Mamh is rife.
homes but is merely a cottage industry. No machi­ Public Health a hi Hygiene.—Hygiene and sani­
nery is employed and no .State encouragement is tation arc conspicuous by their absence. Various
given. forms of eye and shin diseases and malaria abound
everywhere.
(E) Communication and Transport.
During the period under review work was started
Stale of communication* generally.—Transport along on the erection of up to date firii and meat markets
the coastal towns is still carried out by sailing and slaughter housis in both the towns of Muscat
vessels and remains the cheapest means of convey­ and Matrah. A scheme lias aho been put in hand
ance. Light cars can run some 2tV) miles up the for the filling and draining of the notorious Muscat
Batinah Coart to Kalha hut the unsuitability of i*pond” a pestilential swampy area of several
the existing tracks for an}ihing in the nature of lorry acres in extent situated almost in the centre of the
traffic precludes any attempt to introduce road town and a prolific breeding ground for malarial
transport for commercial purposes. mosquitoes.
The only properly constructed road in the country Municipality.—A municipality exists in name but
is between tlie towns of Muscat and Matrah on which las neither the funcs nor the administrative ability
motor earn plj daily. to effect any improvements.
Transport rates by car. R. P. WATTS, Major,
Political Agent and 71is Britannic Majesty's
Ximf erf unrm. No. pf a.On. Rale f-T Ulp.
Corn ul, Mused.
E*. k. r.
Xliurit i.. H it roll . 5* a o
Date Trade of Muscat.
"1 soo
Wutaiy.b 10 « 0 0 One of *be two main products of ;lie Sultanate
cf Muscat is dates. These are grown loth in the
Sib iO 12 0 0
ht'-rior of Oman proper and in grove:*; extending
Kirfca 30 n o o
Lorthward* for some 150 miles along the Eastern
Mum* T3» 20 0 0 littoral from a point approximately 3f> miles north
S^ualq . 67 25 0 0 of Matrah. This area is known as the Batitah.
Kh-.tura . no 55 0 0 2. The dates may be divided into two categories,
S-Lam . 43 0 0 viz., (a) wet and (6) dry.
Sahar \U to 0 0 The former comprise the following varieties :—
Kid*-cl.E**a . ICS 53 O 0 (1) Ford. (T) Kha&ahb
Murair-*Htitari»h . 105 CS 0 0 (2) KJnnifi. (8) Farfaraiu.
(3) BomL (S) BnrshL
Air Service.—The Imperial Airways have an (4) lianzaL (K*) NagaL
aerodrome whieb i' a refueling station on the Makran (5) Alu-Xaranj. (11) Madloki.
Co art at Gwadur a poss*.*don of the .State of Muscat.
The Air Route parses over the Sultan's territory (6) Kbalaa. (12) Hawami.
approximately half way between Muscat and Ras whiLst the latter consist of :—
Masandum hot has only an emergency landing (1) Mut-alL
ground on the mainland.
(2) CxsE Abimaraoj.
(3) Harazai.
(F) SoexaL
(4) Havrami.
Standard of Living.—The majority of the indi­ 3. Fard dates, which arc of premier quality, are
genous population is completely poverty ridden mostly the produce of Oman proper. They h-teb
and live a hand to mouth existence, generally in- high price* and art- exported to both the United
cumbered with debt. They subsist chiefly by Kingdom and the United States of America,
fishing and on the date harvest. In mo.st eases
a date crop is mortgaged a year in advance to 4. Inferior quality dates such as :—
ftpecugtivc exporters and the cultivator rarely (1) IfOfali. (7) Sidi.
derives the full .benefits of bis toil. Like many (2) Muznrib. (8) NugaJ HbUIL
impoverished profile the local inhabitant is hardly (3) Karma. (10) .Shabrat.
(4) 2bbid.
hut spendthrift acd, expending what he baa while (5) Muz»ag. (11) Ainliuksx.
he has it, has Httle heed for the morrow. (0) Gk»h-Ii'ira6h. (12) Nizad.