مجموعة ٦ / ٨ (١) "سلسلة مطبوعة: ١٩٢٩ إلى ١٩٣٨". [و‎‎٢‎٤‎٤] (١٠٦٢/٤٩٢)

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Constantinople, e.g Dr F G. Clenow’s monograph on “Les Eaux de
Dpddah , or repoits made for military purposes during the War I do
not know either to what extent the matter is of real interest to departments
of His Majesty s Government. If it were considered worth while this
Legation could send home a translation of Mr. Twitched’s report but I
should not with to undertake this unnecessarily as the labour of checking the
rough translation already made with the Arabic text in the Umm-al-Qura
itself presumably a translation from an English original, would be consi
derable.
7. As regards other minerals, I mentioned casually to Fuad Bey Hamza
some weeks ago the announcements in the Stockholm press that the Hejazi
Government had asked the Swedish Government to supply a geological
mission. See the correspondence ending with Mr. Clark Kerr’s despatch to
vou No. 127 of May 31st [S. No. (59)]. Fuad Bey did not deny this report
but did not expand. '
8. I am sending a copy of this despatch to the Department of Overseas
Trade.
(89)
Enclosure in Foreign Office covering letter dated 27th August 1931.
(Received on 20th September 1931 with Pol, Secy.’s letter No. P. Z.-36,
dated 3rd September 1931.)
Letter from H. M.’s Minister, Jedda, to the Foreign Office, No. 253,
DATED THE 1ST JULY 1931.
In my despatch No. 177 of the 15th May [S. No. (67)], I attempted to
bring up to date the information in my earlier despatch No. 108 of the 23rd
March, regarding the financial situation in this country, with special refer
ence to the problem of exchange. I have had occasion in other reports to
advert to the growing hopelessness of Ibn Saud’s financial position, and to
the way in which it has come to be ai dominant factor in the political situa
tion in the Hejaz.
2. There has been no improvement in the financial outlook since the
middle of May. It seems more than probable, though it cannot be taken as
certain, that any gold reserve which the Director-General of Finance may
have had up his sleeve has been practically exhausted. This is the view of
the manager of the Dutch Bank, who was in close touch with the Govern
ment during March and April. He told me recently that at the end of that
period the Government were in fact good for the £60,000 in gold required
to bolster up the exchange. I could not ascertain whether he actually made
a new arrangement with them then, but, if he did, little or nothing came of
it, and Mr, Jacob’s principals in Holland have settled down to an attitude
of abstention from further transactions. Before the departure on leave of
M. Adriaanse, the future Netherlands Charge d’ Affaires, who arrived here
some months ago to be initiated into his duties in accordance with the Dutch
system, he was strongly pressed to use his influence at home to get the Dutch
Government to get the Dutch Bank to be more accommodating. There is
very little chance, however, of their altering their attitude.
3. I have reported elsewhere on the King’s experiment of convoking a
National Conference of urban representatives, which sat from the 2nd to the
Hth June, to review in an advisory capacity the problems confronting the
Hejazi Government. Finance was naturally a prominent feature in the
proceedings. As might have been expected, the members of the conference
had no comfort to offer, and such advice as some of them were bold enough
to tender was most unpalatable to Ibn Saud. All that the conference effect
ed was to help to give a certain coherence to grievances which have gradually
been growing articulate afid which may be summed up as follows. (a) The
L632(C) F&PD - -