'Administration Reports 1905-1910' [‎62v] (129/616)

14
ADMMSTRATIOtf REPORT OF THE PERSIAN GULP
Government, and the flag of the Trucial Arabs unceremoniously hauled down It
proved, as was expected that neither the Shaikh nor the third concessionaire had
any idea of the precise terms of the contract entered into by Hassan Samaiyeh •
and on hearing them the former immediately indited a letter to Hassan cancelling
the concession, while Esa bin Abdul Latif at the same time wrote repudiating the
contract entered into with Herr Wonckhaus, on the ground that he had not been in
any way consulted before the fact.
The complaint of the Shaikh to the Eesidency asking for the support of
Government in effecting the annulment of this undesirable contract, and the
appeal of Hassan Samaiyeh, as a British protected person, against the Shaikh's
arbitrary action, were duly referred to Government for orders.
Until they were received Shaikh Sagar was advised to take no further action
towards making tfnod his intentions and the matter remained at this stape until
the close of the yrar, the views of His Majesty's Government not having yet been
received.
Mr. Hatinouglou, the Levantine Greek representing the " Sponge Exploration
Sponge Exploration Syndicate. Syndicate Limited " of London, mentioned
on page 17 01 last year s report, was rein-
forced in June, as expected, by a party of 7 Greek divers from the Mediterranean
and with them conducted diving operations in the vicinity of Hormuz, Larak, and
Kharag Islands ; but apparently with indifferent success.
He indeed professed to have found sponges of fine quality, especially off Kharag,
but after a short time his divers fell out with one another and with him, and more
over proved unable to work in the great heat of the Gulf summer. He accordingly
sent them home during August and followed himself at the end of that month
threatening to return with more in three months' time. He had not done so up to
the close of the year, but from letters written by him to friends at Bushire it
appeared that he was then in London and that his Syndicate, which only started
with a modest capital of £1,000, is trying to enlist more capital, and the sympa
thies of His Majesty's Government in their venture.
The report of Doctor Theodore Thomson.
Public Health Quarantine. anticipated in last year's review was re
ceived in due course.
He failed to see the necessity or advantage of the formation of any international
-detention station at Henjam or other port in the southern portion of the Gulf, but
while holding that the ports below Bunder Abbas on the Mekran Coast, owing to
the absence of free communication with the north and the thinly populated and
arid character of the hinterland, actually constituted little or no source of danger,
he was on the other hand of opinion that the ports in the northern portion of the
Gulf needed to be strongly and effectively held. He further made several recom
mendations for the improvement of the existing quarantine stations, which are now
under consideration with a view to being carried into effect as far as local circum
stances permit.
The Persian Government having notified its acceptance of the provisions of the
Paris International Sanitary Convention of 1903 in this regard the period of
quarantine detention imposed upon ships hailing from plague infected ports was
reduced from 10 to 5 days with effect from March 6th, 1907.
Owing to the jealously vigilant and captious attitude assumed by foreign
representatives and nationalists towards the working arrangements of the Quarantine
Service as administered by the British Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Surgeon, it has been found
advisable during the past year to make several concessions to their suscepti
bilities. Thus the British Quarantine Medical Officers now f[y the Persian Flag
while on duty in harbour instead of the Union Jack as heretofore; the Persian
or French languages are used exclusively for all correspondence and intercourse
instead of English, while the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Surgeon deals direct, qua Persian Official,
with the President of the Sanitary Council at Tehran in all matters connected with
his Quarantine duties.
Although by these means it has been possible to a great extent to disarm un
friendly criticism, it is nevertheless to be expected that the task which the Govern
ment of India have wisely imposed upon themselves in the direction of financing
and administering Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Quarantine Administration will continue to prove
an increasingly difficult and delicate one,.