'Administration Report of the Persian Gulf for the Year 1936' [‎24r] (47/74)

36
The schoolmasters are all young, under 25 and the Palestinian authori
ties had no observations to make on their past. The educational pro
gramme is already much improved and football has been introduced.
(d) Police. —The Ruler has selected suitable metal number badges for
the Kuwait Watch, which is no doubt destined to be the basis of a future
Police Force.
{e) Bank for Kuwait. —The question of a suitable Bank for Kuwait
has been among the subjects which have engaged the serious attention of
the Ruler during the year under review. Nothing final has yet been decid
ed.
(/) Post Office. —The Ruler continued during the year under report
to press the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. for a Post Office under either his or the Politi
cal Agent's influence unlike the Iraqi Post Office now here, which acknowl
edges no control of anyone in the State. This has been the subject of cor
respondence and progress towards a better arrangement has been made.
in) Telephone System for Kuwait. —The question of a telephone instal
lation for Kuwait was for the first time mooted during the year, ine
Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. has put several British firms interested in touch with the
Ruler, who is considering the matter.
(h) Imperial Airways. —The services, two eastbound and two west
bound by land machines, continued as in the last year.
The percentage of non-landings to the whole number of passages across
the territory was 'roughly 20 per cent., i.e., a proportion of 4: ] between
landings and non-landings. No building or equipment has yet been pro
vided by Imperial Airways on the landing ground except a small and simple
fire apparatus in a box. Their agents for supply of petrol have built a
small store.
The local manager from Basra visited Kuwait at the end of the year
and spoke of improvements in accommodation and air mail arrangements.
He inspected the site of the seaplane anchorage.
(«) Boat Building and Pearl Diving —Boats- —A note on the number,
tonnage, etc., of boats built during the year will be found in the Trade
Report for 1935. The boat building industry has greatly improved and
the yaras were kept busy throughout the year; many boats^ being ordered
from elsewhere on the Arabian Coasts, where the leading Kuwait builders
are gaining a very high reputation for sound building. Applications were
received from as far away as Makalla and Karachi.
Pearls. The pearl season showed a slight improvement in prices and
in finds over last year, the former, it is believed, due to the expected Coro
nation in England.
The number of boats which set out for the pearling banks was 300, a
larger number than last year and the same as in 1934.
The largest pearl found this year, said to be worth £600 was collected
by chance by fishermen off Kuwait in December. It was despatched to
India by the first air mail.
{j) The Pilgrimage to Mecca {Haj) from Kuwait. —The number of pil
grims who left Kuwait this year was :—
Kuwaitis by camel 193
Kuwaitis by sea ......... Nil
Kuwaitis by car .......... 4
Iraqis by car through Kuwait—30, in 10 cars.
Many Iraqi pilgrims now prefer the Kuwait route to that from Nejd via
Hail.
The Ruler has given orders which will ensure the Quarantine Building
and Isolation Hospital being kept in good order. g