Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [‎133v] (267/540)

36. No personage of importance seems to have come on pilgrimage from the
Trucial Sheikhdoms or Qatar in 1934, but a brother of the Sheikh of Dibai
started for the Hejaz in November. There was no evidence of more in the way
of direct intercourse between the rulers of the various principalities and Saudi
Arabia than has normally been maintained, notably with Ibn Jiluwi, the King’s
cousin and Governor of Hasa. Presents in money and kind are said to pass, buj^*
the evidence of this, so far as it is known in Jedda, lacks all precision, except
as regards the alleged subsidy paid by the Sheikh of Qatar to Ibn Saud, which has
been mentioned in previous reports. Whatever may have passed between the
Sheikh of Qatar and the King, when the former visited Riyadh in 1933, there
was no outward sign in 1934 of any important development of their direct
relations. The sheikh admitted the existence of such relations in the spring and
had to be warned to limit himself to pure courtesy.
37. It is perhaps just worth while to mention one incident which was
reported from Bahrein in March. A Persian in Qatar, having a claim against
two men from the Manasir tribe, sought the help of the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi
without success. He then appealed to the Sheikh of Qatar, who gave him a
letter to Ibn Jiluwi, who promised to recover the debt.
38. It may be inferred from the above that the actual situation between the
rulers mentioned and Ibn Saud underwent no perceptible change. On the other
hand, the question of their frontiers and his became one of capital importance.
This will be dealt with later under the head of Anglo-Saudi relations
(paragraphs 55 to 58 and 63).
(5) Bahrein.
39. The question of transit dues (see paragraphs 58 to 60 of the report for
1933) and the issues connected with it continued throughout 1934 to be the only
matters directly affecting the relations between Saudi Arabia and Bahrein. They
were the subject of much correspondence among the British authorities concerned
and of some discussion with the Saudi Government. The latter remained
consistently shy of the proposal constantly renewed by His Majesty’s Government
in the United Kingdom that all the issues should be explored by a local conference
of Saudi and Bahreini representatives at Bahrein, assisted by the British Political
Agent. No definite progress was made on those lines, and on the other hand
Ibn Saud did nothing further to develop a port at Ras Tanura. Trade seems to
have proceeded on much the usual lines, though there were signs of new
commercial factors, which might affect it eventually, among them the activity
of Japanese shipping in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and the first visit of an Italian
merchant vessel to Bahrein in June. By October the British India Steam Navi
gation Company were so much impressed by the dangers of foreign competition
that they enquired as to the possibility of the British authorities surveying and
marking the approaches to Ras Tanura and moving the Bahrein Government to
desist from opposition to direct shipments to the mainland.
40. In these circumstances it will suffice to indicate very briefly the principal
phases through which the matter passed after the inconclusive efforts made early
in the year to promote a solution. They were as follows :—
{a) When Sir Andrew Ryan visited Taif in July Ibn Saud went out of his
way to raise the question personally in language of extreme bitterness.
He scouted any idea of the Bahrein Government playing an indepen
dent role. He accused His Majesty’s Government in the United
Kingdom of preventing direct shipments to his coast and boycotting
his efforts to develop it.
(5) The matter was discussed in general terms with Fuad Bey Hamza during
his visit to London in September. He promised to re-submit the British
proposal to the King, but nothing further was heard from the Saudi
Government up to the end of the year, although it had been urged on
Fuad Bey that, if the local conference were held quickly, and if it
should fail, there would still be time to bring the matter into any
general Anglo-Saudi discussions after Sir Andrew Ryan’s return to
Jedda.