File 2830/1914 Pt 2 'Persian Gulf: Pearl Fisheries. Investigation into Alleged Depletion of Pearl Banks. Germans and the Industry. Concessions, etc.' [‎176r] (360/578)

[ Confideni
No. 1811, dated Bushire, the 7th (received 15th) June 1908.
From— Major P. Z. Cox,C.I.E., Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
To—S. H. Butler, Esq., C.I.E., Secretary to the Government of India in the
Foreign Department, Simla.
1 .. ^K? aVe J 10110 , 111, t0 re ^ er to closing sentence of paragraph 7 of my
letter ^o. 205, dated 19th January last, on the subject of the trade in mother-o*-
pearl shells from the Gulf, and to submit the further report therein promised.
1 ^ 0 * Ur ^ ra, k Coast Ports and meeting with the Trucial Sheikhs was
ddayed owing to my desire not to miss His Excellency the Naval Commander-
in-Chief whose visit to the Gulf had to be postponed from time to time and
took place later than usual.
2. Through their correspondent in Hamburg, Messrs. Gray Paul were able
to supply me confidentially with some figures indicating the amount of their own
and Messrs. Wonckhaus s consignments to Hamburg during the seasons 1004 to
1907, thus—
The Bushire Agent of the English firm at the same time quoted to me a com
munication received from his London Office which was in the following
terms :—
“ We are as anxious as they are (the Bushire Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. ) to develop our
shell interests not only for its own sake but also to limit the threatened expan
sion of the German Trade, but if German steamers and German Agents are
getting Government support as we are thoroughly satisfied they must be getting,
to continue running and working as they are doing, it is exceedingly difficult
for private enterprise to hold their own. * * * You might tell Major Cox
that I have discussed our shell business with Milborrow (their Bahrein representa
tive then at home) and he confirms my opinion that we are better off in continu
ing on the same lines as hitherto than in adopting the German method, which
means making large advances to people who will one of these days let them in.
We are doing all we canto assist Sheikh Jasim (bin Thani) of Katar over his
holdings of pearls and with his interest and influence on our side I hope we shall
be able to control the bulk of the shells from that part of the Coast ” Katar).
3 . Mr. Milborrow, the Bahrein representative, returned to his post in April and
before joining was summoned to Basrah to confer with the Bushire and Basrah
Agents of the Firm regarding the present question. In the result they decided
that the Firm could not trade safely or profitably on the lines now followed by
the German Firm either in buying the pearls from the dhows on the pearl banks
or in giving large advances to native middlemen to purchase shells for them ;
but though hesitating over the appointment of an Englishman to represent them
at Lingah, on the score of expense, they have for the time being deputed a
capable and experienced East Indian employe to that port for a year to replace
their present useless factotum and especially to work up the Persian Coast and
Trucial Oman A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. trade. This new representative was expected to arrive at Debai,
a few days after I left, on a short visit for the purpose of examining this branch
of the trade on the spot and reporting to his principals on the possibilities of
further successful enterprise. I myself talked over the problem with the Trucial
Sheikhs individually. No syst em of monopoly appears to be workable in practice
owing to the difficulty of enforcement. The position at present is that promis
cuous Persian boats come over from time to time from the Lingah Coast and buy
up any shells that are found accumulated. Although the presumption may be
that they are working for or in association with Messrs. Wonckhaus’s Lingah
Agent, there is no outward indication that such is the case. The Sheikhs
while explaining that it would not be worth their while to handle the shells them
selves except in pursuance of some specific arrangement with an English Firm,
Messrs* Gray Paul.
Messrs. Wonckhaus.
1904- 05
1905- 06
1906- 07
... 12,088 bags.
... 7»785 ..
... 10,083 „
16,434 bags,
2*317 „
4.209

File 2830/1914 Pt 2 'Persian Gulf: Pearl Fisheries. Investigation into Alleged Depletion of Pearl Banks. Germans and the Industry. Concessions, etc.' [‎176r] (360/578)

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File 2830/1914 Pt 2 'Persian Gulf: Pearl Fisheries. Investigation into Alleged Depletion of Pearl Banks. Germans and the Industry. Concessions, etc.' [‎176r] (360/578)

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