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'Government of Bahrain Annual Report for Year 1357 (March 1938 - February 1939)' [104r] (45/80)
The record is made up of 1 volume (39 folios). It was created in 1939. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: 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. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
29
In the winter and spring a fairly good supply of European vegetables is now
available in the Manama bazaar, produced in local gardens. Locally grown fruit
however, excepting dates, is almost non existent.
During the last date season there was a very slight recurrence of the date
disease which did so much harm during the previous year. Locusts, which used to
visit Bahrain in swarms almost every year, have not appeared during the last four
or five years.
Political Unrest and Press Propaganda.
During the latter half of the year there was a state of political unrest in
Bahrain. Events in Kuwait and, later, in Dubai contributed towards this condition.
Newspaper articles began to appear in the Arab press in the spring attacking the
Bahrain administration and showing strongly anti-British tendencies
A group of discontented individuals in Bahrain encouraged the so-called
educated young men in Manama and Muharraq to believe that they were suffering
from various grievances. The movement was mainly among the young Howlis,
Sunni Persians resident for more than a generation in Bahrain who form the
majority of the shop-keeper class. It was supported by a few older men some of
whom believed themselves to be progressive but most of whom were actuated by
personal motives and dislike of the existing government. The chief agitators were
Ali bin Khalifah al Fadil, who had once been the secretary of the Manama Munici
pality but was dismissed in disgrace and later convicted of misappropriating wakf
funds, Saad bin Shamlan, a negro
wakil
Elected representative or attorney, acting in legal matters such as contracting marriage, inheritance, or business; a high-ranking legal official; could also refer to a custodian or administrator.
in the courts who had been debarred from
appearing in court owing to malpractices, Ibrahim bin Abdnlla Kamal, who had
done nine months imprisonment for fraud and Ahmed Chirawi another court
wakil
Elected representative or attorney, acting in legal matters such as contracting marriage, inheritance, or business; a high-ranking legal official; could also refer to a custodian or administrator.
with an unsatisfactory reputation.
These leaders endeavoured to gain the sympathies of the chief Shia merchants
of Manama, who had been conferring with the government for some time about
reforms in the Shia Shera courts and also tried to enlist the support of leading Arabs
in a movement against the Government. The Shia leaders were not drawn into the
affair and none of the important Arabs gave the agitators any open support though
various individuals were in sympathy with certain items included in the demands
which were being discussed. They disapproved of the methods which were used.
During the autumn the press compaign in the Egyptian, Syrian and Iraqi
papers was intensified and in Bahrain anonymous notices were stuck up in the town.
Political meetings were held incessantly. The leaders asked their supporters to
demand a legislative council, a committee to take over the education department, the
removal of the Khalifah Shaikhs from posts of -magistrates, changes in all
departments of the administration including His Highness's private household and
innummerable concessions from the Bahrain Petroleum Company including a
committee of local merchants to engage labourers and deal with disputes and labour
affairs.
During Eamadan it was known to the Government that the so-called leaders
were canvassing the important Arabs in Hedd and Muharraq to join a movement
which was definitely against the Government. On 12th Ramadan three of the chief
agitators were arrested. The fourth leader, Ali bin Khalifah attempted during the
night to organise a strike of workers at the oil fields. Up to this time no demands
had been put forward for the consideration of the Government or addressed to the
Bahrain Petroleum Company. Most of the semi-educated youths working as office
boys, gangers, motor drivers etc. with the Bahrain Petroleum Company were in
sympathy with the movement, though not interested in reforms in the Government
services they were induced to join the movement in the expectation of getting higher
pay and similar conditions to skilled Indian workmen.
The strike was abortive. Pickets of boys who tried to prevent workmen
reaching the oil fields were arrested by His Highness's retainers and although a
number of labourers failed to attend their work, having been told that no work would
be done that day, the routine of the Company was not interrupted.
About this item
- Content
This volume is the Annual Report of the Government of Bahrain for the year 1357 AH (1938-1939) and gives te details of the Revenue and Expenditure of the Bahrain State and contains notes on the activities of the various Government departments, as well as the budget 1358 and some particulars of importance which took place in Bahrain during the year. It includes text, photographic images and tables. The report appears to be compiled from reports from various Government departments and officials. An index appears on folio 84r, followed by a General Review by Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the State of Bahrain (folio 85r).
The contents are divided into the following sections and sub-sections:
- Budget 1357 (folios 86r-87r);
- Summary of Revenue and Expenditure 1357 (folio 87v);
- Statement of Revenue and Expenditure 1357 (folio 88r);
- Notes on Revenue 1357 (folio 88v): Customs Receipts, Royalty on Oil, Passport Fees, Judicial Receipts, Car Taxes and Driving Licenses, Land Revenue, Interest on Reserve, Oil Inspection Fees, and Miscellaneous Receipts;
- Notes on Expenditure 1357 (folios 88v-93r): Allowances to Ruling Family, Administrative Services, Public Health, Public Protection, Departmental Expenses, Education, Municipalities, Public Works, Major New Works (Palace, Hospital, Dispensary and Medical Officer's Quarters, Extension of Customs Pier, Passport Office, Residential Quarters, Manama-Muharraq Causeway, Police Family Quarters, Water Tower of Fort, Muharraq Sea Road Extension, Major Repairs to Quarantine, Fort Wall and Tower, Completion of Muharraq Girls' School, Completion of Hawar Fort, and Completion of Law Courts), Minor New Works (Stores Shed, School playing Ground Wall, Country School, Store Room and Servants Quarters, General Repairs to Roads, and Metalling Roads in Manama), Agriculture, Transport, Unforeseen, and Electric Department;
- The Pearl Industry (folios 93v-94r): The 1357 Season, Advances, Pearl Propaganda [Pearl Associates], and Future Prospects;
- Police and Public Security (folios 94v-97r): Police Administration (Strength, Recruitment, Routine and Recreation, Discipline, Health of the Police, Prisoners' Health, Infant Welfare Clinic, Cavalry Section, Buildings and Gardens, Fire Section, Promotions, and Pay and Allowances), Traffic Control, Crime, Liquor, and General;
- Public Health, by Dr I Davenport Jones, State Medical Officer (folios 97v:-99v): The Village Dispensaries, Malaria, Diseases of the Eye, Diseas of the skin, Dysentery, Enteric, Veneral disease, Tuberculosis, Disease of the Respiration (excluding pulmonary tuberculosis), Small-pox, Gynaecological and obstetrical conditions, The Malaria Report, Medical Examination of School Children, Quarantine Service, and Comments;
- Land Registration Department (folio 99v): Registration of Sales, Gifts and Titles, Revenue from Sales etc., Property owned by Iranians, and Land Survey;
- Judicial (folio 100r-100v): Bahrain Courts and Shera Courts;
- Municipalities (folios 100v-101r): Manama and Muharraq;
- Wakf [Waqf] Department (folio 101r): Shia Wakf Department and Sunni Wakf Department;
- Education (folios 101v-103r): Schools, Technical School, Religious Schools, Students Abroad, Girls Schools, and General;
- Minors Department (folio 103r-103v);
- Agriculture (folio 103v-104r): Agricultural survey, Government Experimental Garden, and General;
- Political Unrest and Press Propaganda (folios 104r-104v);
- General (folios 104v-106r): Distinguished Visitors (including Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, and Earl Athlone, Rear Admirals J F Somerville and Herbert Fitz-Herbert, Shaikh Hafiz Wahba [Ḥāfiẓ Wahbah], Saudi Arabian Minister to London, the Vicar Apostolic of Arabia and Bishop of Gaza, Monsignor J B Tirinnanzi, and the Ruler of Dubai), Appointments, His Highness's Indian Visit, Bahrain Theatre Company, Bahrain Camels in Edinburgh, Government Rest House, and Repatriation of Indigents;
- Electric Department, report by Mr W B Steele, State Engineer (folios 106r-108r): Generation, Increase, Wiring Contracts, Temporary Wiring, Mains Extensions, Alterations to Mains, New Generating Set, Air Conditioning, Government Telephone Department, Transport Department, Fire Department, Traffic Section, Municipal Ice Plants, Government Engineering and Carpentry School, General (Private Ice Plant, Water Supply, Royalty and Tanker Oil-Gauging, Financial Position), and Electricty Department - New Load for 1358;
- Profit and Loss Account (folio 108v);
- Revenue Account (folio 109r);
- Balance Sheet (folio 109v);
- Statement of Energy Sold (folio 110r);
- Customs Department, report by Mr C C L de Grenier, Director of Customs (folio 110v-115v);
- Budget 1358 (ff. 116r-118r);
- Notes on Estimated Revenue 1358 (folio 118r);
- Notes on Estimated Expenditure 1358: (ff. 118r-120r).
Illustrations appear on five folios and they are labelled as follows:
- Folio 89: 'Dispensary and Medical Officers Flat', 'South Aspect', and 'North Aspect, from Sea';
- Folio 92: 'Government house at Kozabia, built for letting', and 'Road construction equipment';
- Folio 95: 'Mounted Policeman', and 'Police patrol launch “al Hawar”;
- Folio 102: 'Technical School';
- Folio 105: 'Princess Alice Inspecting Guard of Honour'.
On the front cover there is an inscription that reads 'Printed at the Times Press, Basrah' (folio 82r). Handwritten annotations and corrections are present on various folios (for example, folio 90v).
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (39 folios)
- Arrangement
This file contains an index (folio 84r) which references pages of the report.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: Folios 82-121.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/1/750/3
- Title
- 'Government of Bahrain Annual Report for Year 1357 (March 1938 - February 1939)'
- Pages
- front-b, front-b-i, 83r:120v, back-b-i, back-b
- Author
- Belgrave, Sir Charles Dalrymple
- Usage terms
- The copyright status is unknown. Please contact copyright@bl.uk with any information you have regarding this item.