File 619/1907 Pt 10 'Arms traffic:- Persian Gulf. Prize Money for captures in Persian Gulf.' [‎114v] (233/424)

8
Table contained in Government of India s letter, 2nd September 1909.
Year.
Number of
Rifles imported
into Muskat.
Number of rifles exported to
Number of
Rifles unaccounted
for.
Mekran.*
Elsewhere.
1906
40,000
3,175
14,700
22,125
1907 -
60,000
11,247
14,500
34,253
1908
78,825
35,520
30,900
12,405
* The Government of India explained that the figures in this column were those supplied by the British
Consul at Muskat. From other sources of information, however, they considered it highly probable that the
numbers given represented “only a proportion, perhaps not more than 50 per cent., of the real exports to the
Mekran coast.”
As regards the origin of these arms, the Government of India calculated
in February 1907 that, whereas in 1899-1900 only about one seventh of the
imports came from France, by 1905 the proportion of French arms had risen
to two-fifths.| As regards the years 1906-07, 1907-08, and 1908-09, the
figures are given in the following table. It will be seen that about 53|- per
cent, of the arms imported in 1906-07, about 51J per cent, of those imported
in 1907-08, and about 50| per cent, in 1908-09, were of Belgian manufacture,
the percentage of English-made rifles for the corresponding years being
about 38, 34, and 30 : —
Rifles imported into Muskat J :—
1906-07.
1907-8.
1908-09.
Of Belgian manufacture
- 24,196
45,370
43,280
,, French ,,
- 3,725
6,280
4,230
„ English
- 17,006
30,800
25,600
,, German ,,
—
5,230
6,550
,, Roumanian ,,
—
—
6,160
Total
- 44,927
87,680
85,820
It will be noted that Germany
appeared as
an importer
of rifles into
Muskat for the first time in 1907-08. Roumania entered the field in 1908-09
as a competitor for the sale of condemned army rifles.
'The following table shows the total value of the arms and ammunition
imported into Muskat for the six years from 1903-04 to 1908-09, and of the
duty payable to the Sultan at the rate of 6 per cent.§ for the same period :—
Value of Arms and
Duty payable to
—
Ammunition im-
Sultan at rate of
ported into Muskat.
6 per cent.
£
£
1903-04 - . . .
76,612
4,596
1904-05
107,631
6,458
1905-06 - - - .
71,625
4,417
1906-07
112,338
6,740
1907-08 - - . .
279,050
16,740
1908-09
237,644
14,256
t It should he noted that the arms classified as “ French ” previous to 1906-07 included
all those shipped from Marseilles to Muskat. A considerable proportion seem from the first
to have been of Belgian manufacture.
X The figures in this and the three following tables are taken from the Trade Reports
prepared by the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Muskat, and are based on Muskat Customs returns.
§ See paragraph 6.