مجموعة ٢/٥٤ "لجنة الشرق الأوسط (الرسمية): مجموعة العمل" [ظ‎‎٢‎٦‎٥] (٦٤٢/٥٣٠)

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Before tha v,&r . unskilled labourers y/sre paid
about 8 anns : J a day (- about 9d); the lowest
rate oa'id by the Oil Cp: ; y>^n\ 5.u 3 rup^ey
{- 4/6). Cost of living hr.a increased of
course owing to the enorth)us amount of money
in c irculal 5 on ond hiyhor vo:‘c prices of
foodstu: ; ’f s and -consumer- gc q6 r • but these 5^ Jt
thousands of lower grade workers arc able to
..purchase all kinds of cons tuner goods denied to
then previously 0
Bicycles seemed to co everywhere - mostly ridden
by youths who had given them an Arab colour by
hanging saddle bags over the cress bar.
Wr1st matches
and wireless sets
were In .iauch demand, if the stocks in the shops
#ere a criteria of the extent of purchase.
amt a in pen
Cl)
The narrev .streets were .noisy o-ith the din of
wire.las? end the jo^tlhp evoeos of choppers*
Everywhere •'••here xan intense cctIvlty•
It
.j reasonable to say therefore that the advent of the
has produced a wave of inoraased purchasing power
that has enabled thousands of ordinary men and women to
satisfy ’theii* wants to a much greater extent than previously.
T o t h L s e xt e n t ? a x o r m o f s o c 1 a 1 b e 11 o r m e .a t h ar e s u 11 e d
but it will be a few‘years before stable, and Improved
standards of living create new habits and customs, and social
progress can be claimed 0
5o .The Sheikh rul<?o ps ar autocrat rnd is the eolo
recuired for the
d 1 spenser frora the royalt le s o f sum
maintenance of his greatly increased retinue* and his and
their enlarged households and personal expenditure and for
social and other improvements in his Sheikhdom. He is
assisted by a Council of fttate. Thlx Council put schemes
l ‘ore him and he decides what shall be dene* .Improvements,
have certainly been effected, A ne?; hospital has been
.built, although ovxxg tc uv-fis* 'iix".xction several defects
..In construction arc], layout have prevented its .cbmpletion
and occupation; a new Customs House and other dock
buildings have been constructed; o creed road from the
Cuts to ob House to the ccatre la being made and the occupants
of houses demolished in consequence have been adequately
.••.;ed i three largo diameter-drains are being hold
to prevent flooding; the road from the centre to the
Sheikhas
is being widened $ now buildings have been.
erected In the Centre; new Police Fcreo hat -bn; on
organised and a'Passport and Bstionality Bapartment bos
been created;; many new schools have been provided - I
was told by one of the She ikh bo Advisers that whereas there
were only about 500 scholars 3 -year;: ego there ore now
nearly 5,000 of whom 1,500 arc girls; there are 100
teachers and an Education Committee Is vofl supported by
an Egyptian Director* apart fro i these .xcrjoeV? paid
for out of ' iyllr- income, other buildini
are in progress* iel'fark of I::" n arc constructing
new premises end a prominent ^erchxnt, 6ho ikh Abdu.U.a
Mull a Saleh (one: of the Ruling 3h-;lbh 0 rx advisers) is
building new offices forjvix -busines;.- ^he Centre. This
Sheikh lis the main agent the irapcrt ; of motor vehicles.
:o There are no doefet signs of
in social prog^s box It x too soon to vnvisaye the form
and •••ixtent of the-Sheikh's .future administration of public
affeir?o If he follcws the p-ttxn'r King Xbn Sau.d,
stem of autocratic 'fill continue alid
the nre.sent sy
hough
it may