ملف ٤٩٤٩ /١٩١٢ جزء ١ "الخليج الفارسي: - أكسيد أبو موسى" [ظ‎‎١‎٥‎٥] (٥٦٦/٣١٩)

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shipment of oxide by the S.S. Louise, four planks of wood were used as
landings to facilitate the shipment of oxide by the lighters, and when the
articles were brought over to Lingeh from the island, 1 delivered three of the
four planks to Hassan bin Somaiyah. and took a receipt dated 4th Rabi-ul-
Awwal 1331 —11th February 1913 from him which is available in the
Bushire Residency. The remaining one of the four planks was removed
from the island by a certain Muhammad bin Fahad, by order and permission
of llassan bin Somaiyah; and if the latter denies this, it would be possible
to demand the same from Muhammad bin Fahad. The value of each plank
may amount to Rs. 20 at the most. In the face of these facts, and of the
existence of receipts, there is no necessity to make any reference to Hassan
bin Somaiyah : s account books, which have been cooked by the members
ot‘ the firm of Wonckhaus since the cancellation of the concession, and which
continue to remain in the said firm up to now. Under these circumstances,
how do the British Government agree to pa)* compensation for such articles
which have been taken over by Hassan bin Somaiyah and for which he has
passed receipts v
With reference to the question of the deterioration of oxide, the facts are
as stated by the Hon. Sir Percy Cox. The works on the oxide mines in
this Gulf began with the Hormuz island and then with the island of Abu
Musa, and the system of work is this :
Any quantity of oxide excavated from the mines is collected in heaps
without being stored in godowns or covered with anything. It remains
under the sun, moisture, dew, rain, and air for years, and undergoes no
change at all, because the margins of the heaps are so hardened by dew and
moisture in the beginning that the air does not affect it at all, and it remains
preserved.
As regards the explanation given by the Honourable Sir Percy Cox
regarding the original concessionnaires, it is the true position (of the case),
and I beg to represent the information 1 possess in this connection. While
negotiating the contract with Hassan bin Somaiyah, Wonckhaus proceeded to
the island and approved of some oxide, but, in point of fact, the oxide
excavated since the date of the contract (June 1906) which was made by
Hassan bin Somaiyah with Wonckhaus up to the date when the Shaikh of
Sharjah cancelled the concession, was not over 500 tons approximately ; and
this was also shipped in the course of the shipments made by the S.S.
Teutonia and Louise, because it was Hassan bin Somaiyah’s principal object
anu desire to get rid of those heaps of oxide remaining on the island which
had been excavated five lo six years before the contract of June 1906. As a
matter of fact tne oxide remaining on the island is the remainder of the
former heaps which had been mined within the aforesaid period before the
contract of June 1906. Portions of these heaps were shipped by the
steamers enumerated below and the remainder exists there. It is certain
that there is no oxide on the Abu Musa island which had been especially
mined for Wonckhaus.
In regard to the doubtful points contained in paragraph 9, according to
the records and copies of the Agency reports which had been submitted to
the Residency at the time of shipments, the following shipments have
been made:—
On the -5tli March 1906, before Hassan bin Somaiyah’s contract with
A\ onckhaus, the S.S. Muhammadi, of the Bombay and Persia Steam