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young brother of his, who feebly seconds him, appeared to be almost the only
persons in the Ministry available for more than mechanical tasks.
125. The mismanagement by Sheikh Abdullah Suleiman of that other
one-man show, the Directorate-General of Finance, is illustrated by many
passages in this report. It is only necessary to make it clear here that, although
4| he was sent on a mission to Hasa after the crisis which came to a head in
November, he was not definitely removed from his post. He, too, has a brother,
who appeared to be in charge of the department at the end of the year and to be
keeping Sheikh Abdullah’s place warm for him in the most fraternal spirit
Indeed, the Directorate-General appeared to be again somewhat of an imyerium
in im'perio, judging by the distinction which Fuad Bey attempted to make in
January 1932 between it and “the Government.”
126. Little can be said of how the other Departments of State function in
Mecca. They are doubtless organised and staffed, but it will be soon enough to
speak of them when it is possible to appraise the results of the reforms instituted
towards the end of the year.
127. There is no change to record in the system of provincial administra
tion. In Jedda, the only place which can be observed at close quarters, the
tendency during 1931 was to curtail the power of the rich and respectable
merchant who has been Governor for many years. A Hejazi, of Persian origin,
he has little love for the present regime, and, though frequently consulted at
critical times, he withdrew more and more from the direction of local affairs,
leaving it to his assistants to take orders from Mecca. Administrative changes
in the neighbourhood of the Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan frontier attracted attention in British
quarters. Two Sadairis, members of a Nejdi family connected with the King,
were installed in the important Governorates of Jauf and Tebuk. The removal
of En Neshmi from the former of these posts and the appointment of Sheikh
Abdul Aziz-bin-Zeid as Inspector of Bedouin in the whole area are adverted to
in the section of this report dealing with Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan . The former Governor of
Qaf, the post closest to the frontier, was replaced by a person of no great con
sideration, but more energetic and less conciliatory than his predecessor.
Towards the end of the year the headquarters of what had been the Govern orate
of Jauf were transferred to Skaka.
IV. —Financial, Economic and Commercial Affairs.
128. The financial situation of the Hejaz-Nejd was extremely precarious
at the end of 1930. In 1931 it became well-nigh desperate. The falling off of
the overseas pilgrimage from over 80,000 in 1930 to some 40,000 in 1931 was
disastrous in its effect not only on the revenue derived from the direct taxation
of pilgrims, but on that accruing from the trade to which the annual influx of
foreigners bringing money into the country and having to be catered for gives
rise. Merchants had neither the inducement nor the means to engage in large
transactions. In some cases they were burdened with stocks carried over from
the previous year, or even longer. The customs receipts, the principal item in
the Hejazi revenue, are stated in a fairly well-informed quarter to have been
nearly £1,200,000 in the lunar year ending the 8th June, 1929, and to have
dwindled to less than £900,000 for the year ending about the 18th May, 1931.
It is doubtful whether they could be expected to yield more than something in
the region of £500,000 in the year ending in May 1932.
129. The Government had great difficulty in financing payments early in
the year. It was only by exerting the utmost pressure that His Majesty’s
Minister obtained payment in March of the long-overdue cable account of the
Eastern Telegraph Company up to December 1930. When about the same time
Sir A. Ryan reopened the question of the Government of India’s claim for about
£31,500 for arms and ammunition supplied in an emergency in 1929, for which
that Government had consented to wait until not later than the 28th February,
1931, the King sent a message asking for another year’s delay. He was ashamed,
he said, to make a further appeal for consideration, but if he were to discharge
the debt he would have to borrow elsewhere, and he would rather owe money to
friends than to strangers. Salaries fell more and more into arrear. The failure