"ملف ٤/٢٧ تقارير متنوعة عن التجارة" [و‎‎١‎٨‎٨] (٧٠٢/٣٨٠)

3
■
Transport.
Transport along the Coast is by sailing vessel and
is cheap. Transport inland is carried out by pack
animals and is difficult, dangerous and expensive.
The rates depend upon the distance the goods have
to be conveyed and the difficulty of the journey.
No means of development of transport and com
munication exist at present owing to the exceedingly
primitive methods of the people of the country.
Health.
The climate of Muscat is extremely bad, the heat
being excessive during the greater part of the year.
A damp heat usually prevails but it is varied by very
hot winds in May and June, owing to the climate
and lack of sanitation the public health is bad,
malarial fever being the prevailing disease. The
highest temperature recorded in the year was lll'JO
and the lowest .73-0° F.. .
Natural Resources.
Minerals .—As far as is known there are no minerals
that could be profitably worked.
Agriculture.
Date growing is the only real industry of the
country. Limes and mangoes are also successfully
grown, while pomegranates are the product of the
Jebel Akhdhar. Cereals are grown on a small scale
and could not be further developed owing to the
limited quantity of water available.
Population.
The population of Muscat is about 2,000 and' that
of Matrah about 20,000. The majority of the houses
in Muscat are empty or are in ruins, Sur is a sailing
vessel port with a population of about 12,000. The
difficulty in obtaining water alone prevents the in
crease of population there. The population of Sohar
has decreased to 5,000 and is mainly concerned in the
export of dates, fruits and firewood.
It is quite impossible to estimate the population of
the interior. The majority of the population are
settled Arabs.
Freight and Shipping.
Steamers .—The usual statements showing shipping
figure are attached to this report. 136 steam ship s
of all nationalities entered and cleared the port du
ring the year representing a net tonnage of 312,528
and 97 sailing vessels with a tonnage of 12,028, of
the 136 steam ships which entered the port 5 were from
United States of America, 3 from United Kingdom
and the rest from India. ‘
The Biritish India Steam Navigation Company,
Limited, maintain a weekly slow mail service both to
Bombay and Basrah. The fast mail steamers which
used to serve the port weekly both ways were with
drawn during the European War and have not been,
resumed since.
Freights .—The statement below gives the average
rates of freights—
Dry dates to India .
Wet dates to India .
Dry fish to India
Fresh fruits to India
Dry limes to Persian Gulf
£
. MO
. 1-0
. 0-18
. 1-7
7 7-14
per ton.
R. G. HINDE, Major,
Ihs Britanmc Majesty’s Consul,.
Masqat.
1
A