'Muscat: Proposed Tariff Treaty' [‎20r] (55/509)

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no list of such vessels lias "been furnished "by the French uu-
-thorities although in 1924 efforts were made to obtain it from
/ / '
the French 'Jonsulate in Jioiiibay* The French Consul replied that
he had referred the matter to his Government "but did not reply
to subsequent reminders*
In February 1929,0116 ¥ali of Bur wrote, in reply to enquiries, C
that the number of French flag holders is now reduced to one
named Saleem bin Salim* 2
Any differentiation in favour of French dhows and against
British dhows would,in niy opinion, have a bad moral effect^whilat
the Finance Minister anticipates difficulties from misuse of
the French flag in outlying ports►
The question seems to me to require consideration also as to
whether,should such differentiation last for any considerable
period, French dhows from elsewhere might not be attracted to
Oman thereby interfering with the legitimate, old established ztwh
trade of British and Oman subjects*
2, The trade of Oman is governed very largely by transport
conditions* There ax'e no roads to the interior* Goods have to
be transported by pack camels or donkeya* This method is slow
and consequently by no means cheap*
There is practically no natural grazing in Oman proper
yxo
anywhere near the coast consequently jione keeps camels except
A4 a
for :j ir actual needs and use and t.iese are expensive to ieed#
The only tribes which go in especially for rearing camels are
the Awamir^ Deru and al V/ahibebMBedouins living at the back of
Oman along the fringe of the desert* Neither they nor their
camels can run the gauntlet to the coast so they consequently
only sell in twos and threes in their own encampments*
The richest part of the country ia Oman proper and the
Semail valley* To transport the produce of this part of the
country to Dubai seems out of the question. It would be expensive
and would have to run the gauntlet of the marauding tribes in
the Dhahiratu The camels which bring the country's produce to
the porta will return laden with commodities from these portu*
The traae "between Dubai and the Batiuah coaat is due to