File 488/1920 Pt 1 ‘Arabia:- General question of subsidies to Arab Rulers.’ [‎42r] (80/163)

L This Document is the Property of His Br itannic M ajesty’s Government.]
EAST E1 tN ( Aram a).
r E 15722/2854/441
No.
[December 16.^
Section 4.
Memorandum by Colonel Cornwallis on the Future Policy of 11 is Majesty s
Government with regard to Subsidies to Chiefs of the Arabian Peninsula.
AT a meeting of the Inter-Departmental Conference on Middle Eastern Affairs
held at the Foreign Office on the 7th December, 1920, it was decided that a memorandum
should be prepared in the Foreign Office giving a reasoned statement of policy for the
future as regards subsidies, on the basis of :—
(a.) Participation in equal shares by His Majesty s Government and the
Government of India.
(b.) Adherence to treaty obligations.
\c) Provisional yearly total of 100.000/. to be distributed by agreement between
His Majesty’s Government and the Government of India.
(d.) Participation by other Powers interested in the pilgrimage in financial
support to the Hedjaz.
This statement of policy to be submitted in the first place to the 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. for
concurrence, and subsequently in its final form to the Government of India and the
representatives of His Majesty’s Government concerned for their views. On receipt
of these views, the Treasury to be approached for their final sanction to the total
agreed upon between the 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. and the department of His Majesty s Govern
ment responsible for Arabian policy.
2. The question of future policy is discussed in paragraphs 3 to 17.
The advisability of making certain temporary arrangements during the current
financial year is dealt with in paragraph 18.
3. It will be convenient to consider the policy which His Majesty’s Government
should adopt for the future under the following heads :—
(a.) The present position of Arab chiefs in the matter of subsidies.
(b.) The obligations to which His Majesty's Government are already committed
either by treaty, custom or policy.
(c.) After deducting the amount which these obligations represent, the manner
in which the balance of the provisional sum of 100 , 000 /. can best be
divided amongst the remaining chiefs, taking into consideration their
relative importance, their past and present services, and their capacity
to injure or benefit British interests in the future.
4 . —The present position of Arab chiefs in the matter of subsidies.
This is as follows : —
(i.) The Sultan of Muscat receives annually 186,400 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. .
(ii.) The Sultan of Shehr and Mokalla receives annually 720 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. .
(iii.) Fahad Beg of the Anazeh receives annually 204,000 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. .
(iv.) The Aden protectorate chiefs receive annually 70,000 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. .
(v.) Ibn Saud receives annually 60,000/.
(vi.) King Hussein receives no subsidy.
(vii.) The Idrisi receives no subsidy.
(viii.) Ibn Rashid receives no subsidy.
(ix.) Imam Yahya receives no subsidy.
(x.) The Sheikh of Koweit receives no subsidy.
(xi.) The Sheikh of Bahrein receives no subsidy.
(xii.) The trucial chiefs receive no subsidy.
5 . (£.) The obligations to which His Majesty's Government are already
committed by treaty, custom or policy.
(i.) Muscat. —The subsidy paid to the Sultan is made up ol the sum of
86,400 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. , which was first paid by the Government of India in 1873 as repre
senting the amount of the tribute formerly paid by the Sultan of Zanzibar under an
[5096 q—4] e B