File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [‎124v] (253/898)

r J f tntp the responsibility of granting permission
Acting Foreign Minister refused to ta ^ ™ to P the King.
on his own authority and referred the .• r the eve nts of the month under
ting Foreign Minister reiuseu ^ j t0 the King.
his own authority and referred the q tier the event s of the month under
4. As regards the situation on between Nejd and Iraq. Reports of
review have gone far to embitter the ee m alarmist that Bagdad appears to
movements of Nejd tribes on the frontier we^ ^ i(m of a rald on a gigant^
have been reduced to a state of panic anticipate d se ems to have reduced itst./
scale. The vast incursion of hostile p ar t v was bombed, with the result that
to a party of 130 Mutair tribesmen. t ^ e rem ainder of the tribesmen fled
three men and twelve camels were k ^ ment deny tha t the tribesmen entered
back across the frontier, the tiejaz merely exercising their time-honoured
Iraq for the purpose of raiding, they ^ewme^ y^ Government that
right of grazing. As against the ^ Hafiz Wahba’s reported state-
tribesmen were merely peacefu shepherds must Cairo Hafiz w is a , leg rf
ments to a reporter of the ■ aaSa were to be regarded as in the category of
to have stated that the Mutarr in question were 10 ^^^ of Ibn Saud . A l cte
raiders who had taken refuge m 1 d P King pointing out the discrepant}
has been addressed by Sir Henry Dobbs ^ the ^mg 1 ^ ^ Ir and thatof
between His Majesty’s explanation of the presen^ ot t ^ ^
SSil SfL^ustice" Haq^as bind, in virtue of the undert^
given in February last not to afford LT'y^pagt months been more restrained in its
5. The “ Um-el-Kura, ^^^1“ P h c^fital out of the bombing incident
tone, sought in a recent artic e o while Ibn Saud has never slackened
referred to above. The wnterseeks to show ^while Ibn ba^ ^
his efforts to ensure peace, a ong article instances first the crossing of
not been made by his northern neighbours The article instances | s(
the frontier by aeroplanes at the time in Parliament
The second to^^lre^tlsit to the frontier and ex-King Ali’s injudicio®
U» possibility „( .revolt » * b f e .
and at the last an exaggerated account is given of the rec ^ it g t th f ron ti c t,
Feeling has undoubtedly been much embittered by King pal f ^ visit was
and bv King Ali’s utterances. The explanation in the first case tha ‘“ e I 1 ™ S
impromptu !nd had no ulterior motives does
the feeling that King Faisal must have known that a visit to the Iron
this juncture could not fail to arouse resentment and that m the mtorest ^ ;t
understanding he would have been better advised not to a • § ’ y h v!
1= [VIi thonp’h he did not expect his remarks to be reported in the press, woum
LntettSvised in the prLent state of feeling not to make pronouncements on fc
internal situation of the Hejaz. . ^ nnestion of
6 . The Hejaz is quiet and is settling down to the all-absorbing qt ^
extracting revenue from the pilgrims. The financial situation at tlm
from satisfactory. The King has been drawing very heavily meagre re ^ ^
of the Hejaz for his needs in Nejd, and considerable dissatisfaction is t
openly voiced. The Dutch, I learn confidentially, have been obliged as a r
the difficulty they have recently experienced m collecting debts tiom
Government, to refuse further credit. 1 . t>,P reins of
7. Fuad Hamza appears to have collected m his own hands ^
government. A much larger measure of independent power has he state ,
given by the King to the Amir Faisal. This means that as Faisal takes v
without consulting Fuad, the latter is virtual ruler of the Hejaz, m t n
absence. A remarkable record for an out-of-work schoolmaster, who aruve , g ^ ig
in the Hejaz two years ago to devil for his countryman, Yussut passim
taking himself seriously. He now has a well-appointed Foreign Gttice in
where he is able to receive foreign representatives rather than himselt visit
has given a series of official dinner parties and receptions. , , ,, moI 1 tli 1
8 . He and the Amir paid a week’s visit to Jeddah at the end ol cte( j
chiefly, Fuad told me, in order to discuss with the local authorities problems c
with the pilgrimage. The regulations which will be drawn up by Fuaa a ^
of these deliberations will, as in the case with most of Fuad’s laws, be an . c
conception but will break down in execution owing to the penury m tne j
competent and honest officials. An endeavour is to be made to register every p 5 ^
on arrival, together with the name of his guide; the guide will be r€S P° ova tioii
rtiA rrilcyrim’s wplfarf- throimhont the nilnrimaei’e. A further excellent