Page 9 - 8 Persian Trade rep Muscat 2_Neat

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Transport. Public Health.
Transport along the coast is by sailing vessel and The climate of Muscat is oxtremdy unhealthy and
i-, cheap. Tran>|-ort inland is carried out by pack the heat is excessive, especially at night. The
animals and is difficult, dangerous an 1 expensive, highest temperature recorded in the year wac 11 l-t5°
Tin* rates depend upon the distance the goods have and the lowest 70*2° F.
to be conveyed .ai.d the difficulty of the journey.
No means of development of transport and com­
munication c.xisl at pn-sent owing to t Eu-exceedingly Shipping.
primitive methods of the people of the country.
Steamer*.—The usual statement showing 6gures
Agriculture. is attached to this report. 110 steamships of all
nationalities entered and cleared the port during the
Date growing is the only real in«h*;ry of the ycnr representing a net tonnage of 407,070 and 77
^out;try. Lim,s and Mangoes are also successfully filing vessels with a tonnage of £,813-77. Of the
-town while pomegranates an- the product of the ] i<j steamships which entered the port 4 were from
•Jebul Akhdhar. Cereals are grown o:i a small scale t|lc i;„it//(j States of America. 4 from the United
ii:d could not be further developed owing to the Kingdom, 1 from Sweden and 110from India.
tJimted quantity of water available. Inadequate
rainfall in Oma n for several years past hits been the The British India Steam Navigation Company
cause of ruin of many date gardens ; o'l wells have Limited Lave maintained a weekly slow mail service
become dry and brackish. both from Bombay and Basra. The fast mail service
which was discontinued during the war has not been
resumed since.
Population.
Freight*.—The statement below gives the average
No regular C'fiiius of the population Muscat and rates of freight :—
Mattrah has ever been taken. It is therefore not Per ton.
possible to give correct figures. Owing to the dearth
A trade the fndian trading commuoi-y which in­ Rs. A. P- Pa. a. r.
habited the town of Muscat and handb-1 CJ3 per cent, Dry date* . .18 0 Ter ban. 19 8 0
of the trade leave disapp* ared and al-aost all their Wet da:« in mat bac . .10 0 20 0 0
business premises arc empty and in ruins. The Wet daies in boxes . 0 10 O 25 0 0
second port. Mattrah, which has conveniences and Dry fi«-h to Colombo (jxrr ton
communication with the interior of Oman, is now ol to c.ft.) , 30 0 0
fairly well populated and Its trad** is T.'icli improved Pocnecracatca . 1 12 0 20 0 0
as compared t<j previous years. Dry lirr.es to rcr.'ian Gulf . 10 0 0 70 0 0
Wet date* to Ceiled .Stales
Natural Resources. * t America (per ton of 40
c.ft.) . 45 0 0
The Anglo-Persian Oil Company Limited have
carried out a preliminary survey in the Muscat
Territory during the year but the pro-jv-cts of finding G. P. MURPHY, Major,
mineral resources in paying quantities appear to be
very poor. His Britannic Majesty's Consul, Muscat.

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