Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [‎121v] (243/540)

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167. There has been little change since 1934 in the communications of the
Hejaz by sea. The following general return for the last two years shows a certain
increase in British shipping relatively to the figures for previous years :—
1934.
1935.
With cargo.
In ballast.
With cargo.
In ballast.
Entered—
No.
Tonnage.
No.
Tonnage.
No.
Tonnage.
No.
Tonnage.
British ...
188
261,271
11
31,018
197
299,104
4
2,602
Saudi
6
814
10
114
5
375
Other flags
93
206,279
12
55,696
80
182,208
24
61,673
Cleared—
British ...
114
114,623
85
177,666
107
120,413
94
181,293
Saudi
7
707
8
1,146
1
75
4
300
Other flags
4
7,863
101
254,112
9
16,317
95
227,564
168. The Arabian Steam Navigation Company mentioned in paragraph 149
of the report for 1934 showed no signs of extended activity. The company’s
second ship, never returned, but the other vessel, Al Fath, made
occasional trips to Jizan with military supplies and personnel and did a certain
amount of coastwise trade as well. The smaller ships of the Misr Navigation
Company (see paragraph 150 of the report for 1934) called fairly frequently at
Jedda during the year.
169. The increase in the numbers of pilgrims was reflected somewhat in the
shipping. The Mogul Line ran a new ship specially designed for pilgrim traffic,
the steamship Islami, and she made a number of voyages during the year,
providing a marked improvement in accommodation for all classes of pilgrims.
The Zemzem, of the Misr Navigation Company, mentioned in paragraph 150 in
last year’s report, was joined for the pilgrimage season by the steamship Kawsar,
specially built for the transport of emigrants from Europe to South America.
These two ships made four voyages in all from Suez to Jedda.
Posts and Telegra'phs.
170. The organisation of inland postal services appears to make slow
progress, but little information on the subject is available. As regards external
services, arrangements were made between the postal departments of the Saudi
Government and of the Government of India at the end of 1934 for a daily mail
service between Bahrein, on the one hand, and Hofuf and Qatif on the other,
to replace a previous weekly service. This arrangement was to come into force
on the 25th February, 1935. In June the Saudi Government approached His
Majesty’s Government regarding a proposed postal service between Jizan and
Kamaran, apparently overlooking the fact that they had raised the same question
in 1931 and received a favourable reply (see report for 1931, paragraph 40). The
renewed request was again acceded to in principle, and the practical arrange
ments prepared by the postal department of the Government of India were
conveyed by the Legation to the Saudi Government on the 31st October. The
important subject of external telegraphic communications has been dealt with
in paragraph 63 above.
171. It only remains to add a few odd scraps of information. The internal
wireless service continues to work satisfactorily, and two new stations seem to
have been established since 1933: one at Makhlaf in Najran in the summer of
1934, and another at Al-Majma’a in Nejd in July 1935. As already stated, the
automatic telephone sets presented by the Russian Government in 1934 remain
installed in the King’s palace at Taif. An extra telephone line was laid to Taif.
It was announced early in October that a committee under Sheikh Khalid-al-
Qarqani had been appointed to review the work of the Saudi Department of
Posts and Telegraphs since its inception. Complaints reached the Legation
regarding alleged abuses in connexion with money orders and remittances of
cash received from abroad, but it was difficult to determine how far there was
real ground for them.