"الملف 35/86 I A 32 معاهدة مسقط التجارية، ١٨٩١: مراجعة سنة ١٩٠٥" [و‎‎٢‎٠‎٦] (٤٨٠/٤١٥)

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ri »/ - Your D/0 of the 11th Instant re^arlin^ the
reriaion of the Goramercial Treaty,
The question of the revision of the treaty now
raises a large number of points # anrl with your perraission I
want to put them before you. You will probably think that I
am an awful trouble anl am raising a number of unnecessary
hares, but if you think the sitiatlon worth consiiering from
the point of viaw expres .se I in this letter it will orobably
na / j some eiiect upon ^uo ^ot ..e oai.7.■ • o.._ vna j ^ > i want ■> /xe ,
?ir3t of all as '.oja:'!. a f ;/ poi .^,5 in jl. treaty
if it is rerisei,
I am sure you are right now as to the inairisability
of raising the tariff. In the first place as long as Muscat
has treaties with other countries we cannot raise it as regard
ourselves witnout fjosing the position of most favourei nation.
It seems scarcely worth whije entering into all the diplomatic
trouble which would be in vol . i, and the questions that might
be asked, for the sake of possibly increasing the income of
this insignificant state. In tne second place sucn action
wouli lose half its point if itw was not accompanied by the
raising of tne tariff in the other states of the G-ulf, In the
third place I doubt if it is worth while risking tne possible
outcry from Oman which has peculiar ideas on tne subject of
all customs,
I think also it might be necessary sligntly to
alter some of the clauses in the draft treaty of 1904 in the
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light of our experience. I refer especially to the clauses
dealing with the estimation of the duty, and I would suggest
the insertion of a clause that while affirming the fact that
export duty is not permitted at tne same time mentioned the
rignt of the Sultan to levy his zakat on gaadtx produce grown