"تقارير إدارية ١٩٣١-١٩٣٥" [ظ‎‎٣‎٠] (٤١٦/٦٠)

48
amount of road widening has taken place, and at the suggestion of the Political
Agent, a parallel road to the Manama Sea Road is being constructed which will
open up the whole area, now served by wretched lanes. The doctrine that the
roads should precede building development created some astonishment but is
now well established.
The Political Agent was asked to arbitrate in the question of the huge area of
land claimed by the Qusaibis behind the Mission Hospital. A most unhealthy
swamp had grown up here, and now that the boundaries have been fixed (the
award gave the Qusaibis a fifth of what they claimed) the Municipality are drying
the land by pumping.
Gramophones, hitherto immoral and banned, are now allowed in coffee shops
though their records are strictly censored at the time of import, It is interesting
to hear that while German (Arabic) records are found to be very immoral, His
Master’s Voice records are comparatively pure. The Shara’s Courts still refuse to
accept the evidence of gramophone sellers, as such men must obviously be immoral.
It is the general view that the age is getting much more immoral, and one
frequently hears that immorality is, on the increase since men can no longer
kill offending female relations.
Liquor seems to be finding its way into the towns in spite of all attempts of
the Police to check it, and as elsewhere, prohibition seems to have bred bootlegg
ing.
Public ITor&s.—Owing to shortage of funds no works of any importance were
undertaken, but the new Quarantine buildings were completed.
Education. —The number of schools in existence on the 1st January and 31st
December is the same as in 1931 none having been abolished or opened during the
year, There are two girls schools and six boys schools, Manama Sunni and Shiah,
Muharraq Sunni, Hedd Sunni, Rafa’ Sunni, Suqal Khamis Shiah.
No. of teachers No. of Tea-
on 1st Jan
chers on 31st
uary 1931.
December
1931.
Male
20
27
Female
8
8
Of the total for both sexes and
on both dates, 15 are foreigners—
No. of
No. of
students on
students on
1st January
31st De
1931.
cember 1931,
Males
- •• ,,500
560
Females ,.
157
178
Education is free, and except in a few cases even paper, pencils are provided
free of charge. English is now taught only in the two top forms of the schools.
Since the pruning of the Educational Council the schools have been running
comparatively smoothly, though the Shiah school in Manama has comparative"!
few students in comparison to its capacity. umparanveiy
u 4 - ^ re ^S| ou s teacher in a Manama Sunni school began to give trouble in Tnlv
“ “ d “• -« Sp.— 3
w l American Mission maintain a boys school and a girls school The former
had a maximum enro ment of 149 with an average attendance of 54 and the latter
115 and 33. The girls school is a very go ahead affair, and does a great deal of
good. The girls play tennis and go for picnics, both unheard of libertfes for Arab
* and , lf any improvement is effected in the position of women in Bahrain
it will be mainly through the agency of Mrs. Dame’s school. The more eraser™ tfw
Arabs do not approve of girls learning to write as thev so., pi, ° re ffnservative
messages to their lovers. “ y Say the y could then send