Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [‎255v] (511/540)

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it depends on importation for nearly all supplies, and that its requirements are
of a simple nature in the main. The bulk of the trade passes through Jedda.
Little is done in the more modern lines of trade, unless it be motor cars, which
are bought in disproportionately large numbers, as they are quickly ruined by
bad roads and incompetent handling.
1*28. Some idea of the importance of Jedda, the principal port for the^
pilgrimage and general commerce, may be derived from the following summary
of the statistics of ships in foreign trade for 1930 :—
Entered—
With
No.
cargoes.
Tonnage.
In
No.
ballast.
Tonnage.
British
162
260,312
240,321
62
168,209
Other flags
108
37
161,950
Cleared—
British
86
96,155
138
332,366
Other flags
28
30,255
117
372,016
129. Certain of Ibn Sand’s treaties contain general provisions regarding
commercial intercourse. In February 1929 he expressed a wish to conclude a
commercial treaty with Great Britain. The proposal was first broached in the
course of a conversation on Soviet activities in the Hejaz and in such a way as
to make it clear that the King sought special advantages in return for his taking
measures to encourage trade with Great Britain rather than with Russia. A draft
treaty, prepared in consultation with the Board of Trade, was communicated to
the Hejazi Government on the 13th April, 1930. It was realised that it would
probably disappoint the King, as little could he put into the draft which would
really attract him. He did not return to the subject up to the end of the year.
In July he approached His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom with
another commercial proposal different in its nature, but similar in tendency.
He intimated his desire to do his buying in Great Britain, notwithstanding the
temptations of other nations, hut he expressed dissatisfaction with the ordinary
commercial channels and asked whether His Majesty’s Government would them
selves act as his intermediaries. On being pressed to define his proposal more
closely he explained that what he looked for was durability, quick delivery and
payment by instalments. He was rather coy about indicating the classes of goods
he required, but eventually produced in October a list of general headings of a
rather alarmingly military character. There was ground for suspicion that what
he was really after was to induce His Majesty’s Government to finance his
transactions by placing his orders, ensuring delivery and not being too hard in
the matter of exacting payment. Even were this not so, the proposal as formulated
was not one which His Majesty’s Government could entertain. After due
consideration, it was decided to inform Ibn Sand that His Majesty’s Government
could not undertake to act as buyers on his behalf, but to add that they would
be willing to give him advice in connexion with particular transactions of
importance as they had recently done in the case of the Marconi wireless contract.
The King was to have urged on him the desirability of doing business through
established commercial houses. It was left to the discretion of His Majesty’s
Minister to point out, if he thought fit, the advantages presented in this respect
by Messrs. Gellatly, Hankey and Co. (Limited), having regard to their old
standing and numerous commercial and financial connexions; and to draw
attention to the importance of following sound business methods as regards
punctuality of payment, &c., if the Hejazi Government wished to do business
with British firms on favourable terms.
130. It would be unjust to say that Ibn Sand is wholly indifferent to
economic and commercial development, but he is wholly ignorant of how to set
about it. Those of his advisers who are most interested in such matters are also
those most likely to seek their own gain rather than take a large view of the
interests of the country as a whole. Neither King nor advisers have any use for
European experts, the employment of whom would be an almost essential condition
of real progress. Were such experts employed, the creation of a port at Jedda
would be an easy matter, as the roadstead consists of deep water enclosed by solid
reefs of coral. The importance of this particular object may be gauged by the
quantity of shipping which visits Jedda in connexion with the pilgrimage and