Page 477 - Gulf Precis(VIII)_Neat

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trade in arms in that quarter. In the case of the remaining portions of the east­
ern and southern coasts of Arabia (other than Oman and the coast of the Persian
Gulf proper), the Government of India were unaware of the existence of any
importation of arms from India, and, so far therefore, as concerned Arabia, they
doubled the need for any amendment of the notification. With regard to the
Mekran coast, however, the Government of India agreed with the Bombay Gov­
ernment and with a view to give effect to their suggestion, they proposed to •
issue the notification below. For convenience sake the draft purported to cancel
the notifications of 1900 and 1902 and to incorporate so much of these as was
still required.
101. In enclosing a copy of the question put by the British India Steam
Navigation Company (see above', for information, it was observed that under
existing rules the reply to the enquiry made by the Company must be in the
affirmative, that is to say, that arms consigned from Bombay to the Persian
Gulf in vessels touching at Karachi, were subject at that port to the restrictions
imposed by section 6 of the Indian Arms Act, 1878, aud clause 6 of the rules
under section 17 thereof, even though a license may have been issued in due form
under those rules permitting their export from Bombay to the Persian Gulf. The
Government of India were inclined to consider that the requirements of the rules
in this respect were unnecessarily onerous, and that an exemption might be
granted in the case of arms, etc., consigned to any port in the Persian Gulf or on
the seaboard of Persia, Baluchistan, or Gwadur, which had been exported from
a port in British India under a license duly granted at that port and in transit In
any intermediate port in British India.
102. The following notification issued
Notification.—By the Government of India, Home Department.
In exercise of the powers conferred by section 27 of the Indian Act, 1878
(XI of 1878), the Governor-General in Council is pleased to cancel the notifica­
tions of the Government of India in the Home Department, cited on the margin,
and to direct that the following additions be made to the like Notification No.
1572, dated the 29th August 1879, namely:—
(1) After the word " Africa” the words "and provided that such port be
not on the sea-board of Persia, the Persian Gulf, Baluchistan or
Gwadur," shall be added.
(2) At the end the following paragraph shall be added:—The Governor-
General in Council is further pleased to exempt from the prohibi­
tions and directions contained in section 6 of the said Act:—
(a) small parcels of arms or ammunition in respect of which the Persian
Consul-General in London has certified in writing that permis­
sion has been granted by the Persian Government for their
importation into Persia and that they are intended in good faith
for the service and personal use of the consignee; and
(b) arms, ammunition and military stores consigned to any port in the
Persian Gulf or on the seaboard. of Persia, Baluchistan
or Gwadur which have been exported from a port in British India
under a license duly granted at that port and are in transit in
any intermediate port in British India.
Proposed removal of restrictions requiring British subjects at Mas-
kat to submit weekly statements to the Political Agent of the
importation and sale by them of arms and ammunition, 1904.
/// 3 Writing on the 7th June 1904, the Political Agent at Maskat again raised
the question as to the advisability of dis­
Secret E., September 1904, Nos. 239-341.
continuing the practice by which merchants
were compelled to submit weekly statements of their arms transactions. Captain
Grey pointed* out that it was largely
• Enclosure to Pro. No. 239. owing to their having to do this that foreign