Skip to item: of 540
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [‎190v] (381/540)

This item is part of

The record is made up of 1 file (268 folios). It was created in 18 Apr 1931-18 May 1945. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

Transcription

This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.

Apply page layout

30
drafts on customs accepted in lieu of duty as creating a debt by the Treasury to
the customs revenue, repayable from the contents of the debt chest. A dexterous
calculation showed that the two more or less balanced, leaving, however, enough in
hand to pay 5 per cent, interest for a year on the sums still due, which must stand
over for that period. The Government were full of regrets for a past which they
attributed to world conditions, and full of hope for the future. The promissoi
notes due in November were dishonoured about the same time.
119. The claims in which His Majesty’s Government are directly interested,
viz., the debt of about £31,500 for arms supplied to Ibn Saud by the Government
of India in 1929 and a smaller sum due in respect of the cost of the McDonnell
enquiry in 1930, remained unsettled during the year. The monthly settlements
with the Eastern Telegraph Company were always behindhand, but the balance
outstanding at the end of the year was rather less than at the end of 1931. The
formidable dispute over the misappropriation by the Saudi authorities of the
Shell Company’s stock of benzine in September 1931 was finally settled in
November 1932 by the conclusion of a fresh agreement between the Government
and the company. It provided for the issue of two drafts for the amount due,
to be met by rebates of 50 per cent, on future sums payable to the Government in
respect of customs duty and quarantine dues respectively, and it assured to Shell
(on paper at least) a share in the local market for benzine.
120. The Legation continued to be bombarded throughout the year with
petitions from British chauffeurs, chiefly Somalis and Sudanese, who could not
get paid arrears of wages due by Royal princes, the Government or Government-
controlled companies. The Government fobbed some of these off in June with
payment of one-third in full satisfaction of their claims. Many other claims were
outstanding at the end of the year.
121. The total floating debt of the Government is relatively small, though
it reduces them to so many miserable expedients. Mr. Hope Gill estimated the
total of important known outstandings at the end of December, not including
arrears of salaries and other such individually small items, at £219,200 gold or
over. One of the most important creditors is Mr. Philby, acting on behalf of his
own company, Marconi’s and Standard Oil, whose claims were put respectively
at £20,000, £15,000 (increasing as further instalments fall due) and £15,000.
The first figure includes debts for Ford cars, supplied by Sharqieh (Limited) as
merchants, not as agents. Mr. Philby, however, pursues his own methods and
does not seek the assistance of the Legation.
122. There has been no substantial change in the monetary situation, which
was described at length in the report for 1931. The approximate rates at the
end of 1922 were :—
No progress seems to have been made with the plan conceived in 1931 for
rehabilitating the riyal by generalising its use throughout Ibn Saud’s dominions.
123. The Saudi Government continued to cast about in various directions
in 1932 for a loan. This was one of the principal objects of the mission to
Europe. The results of its efforts in London are described in paragraph 62 (b),
and the supposed outcome of flirtation with Moscow in paragraph 79. Similar
efforts were presumably made elsewhere, but no one, with the possible exception
of the Russians, seems to have been prepared to help.
124. Notwithstanding his urgent need of money, Ibn Saud was very
indignant over a press report in March that he was getting a loan of £500,000
from His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom in return for certain
concessions, including aerial facilities. He was, in fact, about to ask for a loan,
and he had professed readiness to consider the question of facilities for aircraft
on the Hasa coast, but he feared that, if he were believed to have allowed the two
subjects to be connected, his enemies would make out that he was selling
sovereignty for lucre. He was equally indignant over suggestions that he
exploited the Hejaz. He adverted personally to both these matters in his speech
to notable pilgrims in April. He denied the loan rumour and rejected the
£ gold 1 =20 riyals.
£ sterling 1 = 13| riyals.
£ Egyptian = 14 riyals.
20 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. = £ gold 1.

About this item

Content

This file contains copies of annual reports regarding the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd (later Saudi Arabia) during the years 1930-1938 and 1943-1944.

The reports were produced by the British Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan, succeeded by Sir Reader William Bullard) and sent to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (and in the case of these copies, forwarded by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to the Under-Secretary of State for India), with the exception of the reports for 1943 and 1944, which appear to have been produced and sent by His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires at Jedda, Stanley R Jordan.

The reports covering 1930-1938 discuss the following subjects: foreign relations; internal affairs; financial, economic and commercial affairs; military organisation; aviation; legislation; press; education; the pilgrimage; slavery and the slave trade; naval matters. The reports for 1943 and 1944 are rather less substantial. The 1943 report discusses Arab affairs, Saudi relations with foreign powers, finance, supplies, and the pilgrimage, whilst the 1944 report covers these subjects in addition to the following: the activities of the United States in Saudi Arabia, the Middle East Supply Centre, and the Saudi royal family.

The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.

Extent and format
1 file (268 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 269; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-12 and ff 45-268; these numbers are also written in pencil but are not circled.

Written in
English in Latin script
View the complete information for this record

Use and share this item

Share this item
Cite this item in your research

Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [‎190v] (381/540), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2085, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100036362871.0x0000b6> [accessed 28 March 2024]

Link to this item
Embed this item

Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.

<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100036362871.0x0000b6">Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [&lrm;190v] (381/540)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100036362871.0x0000b6">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000555.0x00026f/IOR_L_PS_12_2085_0381.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" />
</a>
IIIF details

This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000555.0x00026f/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Use and reuse
Download this image