Page 65 - 8 Persian Trade rep Muscat 2_Neat

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The Cystoma rcv.r/ic is the uain sour re cf the Public Health.
Government’s income. The diraatc of M scat, is cxtrcnr.cly unhealthy
Transport. and the lie a: is excessive, especially at night. The
Transport alone the coast is by sailing vessel highest tci.ifer.iturc recorded in the year wa-s 110-2°
and is cheap. Transport inland is carried out by and the lowest 03*2®.
pack animals and is difficult, dangerous and ex­
pensive. The rates depend upon the distance the Shipping.
?cO l,avc 10 conveyed and the difficulty of the £ towers. The usual statement showing figures
journey. is attached tr. this report. 120 steamships of all
The local Government is now constructing a road nationalities entered and cleared the port during
to link up Matt rah with the Bat inch Coast ports. the year, representing a net tonnage of 400,0*33*4
A road from Muscat to Matt rah i3 also under and IU7 sailing vessels with a tonnage of 11 ,£08*48.
construction. Of the 12G steamships which entered the port 6
were from the United States of America, 4 from
Agriculture.
the United Kingdom and 116 from India.
Dale growing is the real industry of the country. The British India Steam Navigation Company.
Limes and mangoes arc also successfully grown, Limited, have maintained a weekly slow mail ser­
while pomegranates arc the product of the Jcbol vice both from Bombay and Basra. The fast mail
Akhdar. Cereals are grown on a small scale and service which was discontinued during the war has
could not be further developed owing to the limited not been resumed since.
quantity of water available. Inadequate • rain fall
in Oman for several years past has been the cause Freights. The statement below gives the average
of ruin for many date gardens ; wells have become rates of freight :—
dry and brackish. Her ion.
Population. Ps. A. P. 1!«. a. v.
No regular census of the Populati -n cf Muscat Dry date? I 3 0 per ba: 1J » O
I 0 O „
l<
and Mattmh has even been taken. It is therefore W l «l »t- ? i:i inat bagj 0 10 <J per box -■’> O 0
Wet 'laus in boxes .
O U
not possible to give correct figures. Bat it has Dry fi«h to Colombo (pci
recently bec-n estimated at 12,580, ctz., 4,340 are ton cl I er.t.) 3 J O t?
in Muscat and 8,*-10 in Mattrah. Owirta to the l’on;c:r'rjtt'> • 1 8 O l*J 8 )
dearth of trade the Indian trading community Dry Lin*? to Persia a Gull 10 0 i» 0 O
Wot «!-!:•> ;<* L\ S. A (per
which inhabited the town of Muscat and handled t»-n 'A 10 e.ft.) 8 o
95 per cent, of tie trade have disappeared and
almost all their business premises arc empty and
in ruins. The second port of Mattrah, which has
conveniences and communication with the interior G. p. MURPHY, Major, I.A.
of Omar., is now fairly well populated and its tra 3e PoliUcd Agent mud 11. D. J/.’s Consul, JI meat.
is much improved us compared to previous years.