مجموعة ٢٠/٨ "مسقط: تعيين مستشار مالي: السيد س. إ. هيدجكوك" [و‎‎١‎٨‎٣] (٦٩٦/٣٦٦)

Levy Commandant,(in command of 150 men)-Rs 1,400 plus pension
plus free orderly,
I drew the attention of the President of the Muscat Council
of State, and of the Foreign Secretary, to th© undesirability
of having in charge fif Muscat 1 s finances an official who
could not make ends meet on his pay. Both were sympathetic,
the latter admitting that it was not mauh, and suggesting that
I should take up the question with the Government of India
when Musc4t had achieved solvency#
This one question of dissatisfaction was thus under
process of amicable agreement, and can hardly be advanced as
an argument for terminating my services*
Lastly, and most important, what weight can the athorities
A
at the India Office fairly attach to Colonel Biscoe’s adverse
commentsT It must be remembered that most of his criticisms
were made while he was on leave, and were based on his recoil-
lections of the shock caused by my proposed reforms. By the
time he returned to the Gulf, every single one of the drastic,
hasty, unreasonable and politically insound proposals of the
femperamentally unsuitable Financial Adviser had been quietly
accepted by the local representative* of the Government of
India. As a matter of fact, the wheel has come full circle
at Muscat, though too late to be of benefit to myself.
Further, was Colonel Biscoe quite unbiassed in his judge
ments! Nothing is more annoying to a senior official than for
a junior 1 s contrary opinions to turn out to be correct} and th»*
was constantly happening at Muscat, I realized that to press
my financial arguments to the point of resignation would
hardly endear me to Colonel Biscoe, but that course became
necessary in the interests of the government I served* I am
"prepared to take the punishments or rewards" of my action; at
the same time, I look to the India Office for an impartial