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Coll 1/59 'Aden. Lease of the Perim Coal Company at Perim: future of Perim and provision of a wireless set' [‎243r] (485/911)

The record is made up of 1 file (456 folios). It was created in 24 Jun 1935-21 Oct 1937. 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. .

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Minute Paper.
Department.
Please see the previous submission at P.Z.1020/36
below regarding the future of Perim Island, It was
then pointed out that the question fe±l into two parts:
(a) the determination of the Perim Coal Company’s lease,
(b) the future arrangements for the administration etc.
of the Island.
No advance has yet been made in regard to (a) and a
reply is still awaited from the Company regarding the
terms on which their lease may be determined.
Meanwhile there has been a good deal of correspondence
i *^ W/I
and discussion as to the commercial future of the Island.
A
This, of course, to a large extent determines the future
arrangements for the administration etc. of the Island, as
it was not possible to take any decision in regard to the
latter until it was knovtfiwhether any, and if so which, of
the commercial bodies in the Island were going to remain
there.
It now appears almost certain that no commercial
bodies will remain and that the Island will be reduced to
its ordinary indigenous population. In these circumstances
Sir Bernard Beilly (who is now on leave) has pointed out
that it is desirable to give the Acting Chief Commissioner
instructions as to what he is to do when the Perim Coal
I
Company remove from the Island the skeleton staff which
they have been maintaining there pending their negotiations
with the other commercial bodies.
In his letter of the 16th November, at P.Z.8664/35,
the Chief Commissioner made certain proposals for the
maintenance of the minimum essential services in the Island
in the event of the commercial companies leaving. The
G. of l. in their letter of the 13th January 1936, at
, fii
P.Z.705/36, honourpod in the Chief Commissioner's
i^commoncra-t arena /.

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Content

The file contains papers regarding the operation of certain businesses on Perim, negotiations for their withdrawal from the island, and arrangements for the Government of India to assume responsibility for maintaining essential services previously provided by the companies.

The papers primarily concern the position of the Perim Coal Company - a subsidiary of Lambert Brothers Ltd. - and consist of correspondence regarding: the lease held by the company (copy at ff 445-54); their financial circumstances, and reasons for ceasing operations on Perim; arrangements for early termination of the lease through a deed of surrender (copy at ff 123-25); and the proposed sale of a water condensing plant and accessories to the Government of India.

Throughout their period of operation on the island the company provided certain essential services: a company employee acted as Government Agent on the island, and they also provided sanitation and medical services; the supply of water, ice and electricity; and oversaw the lighting and buoying of the harbour. Arrangements for the assumption of these duties by the Government of India and Aden authorities are also discussed in the correspondence.

The correspondence also concerns other businesses operating on Perim, namely the Asiatic Petroleum Company, the Lloyd's signal station, the Shell Transport and Trading Company Ltd., and the Eastern Telegraph Company (owned by Cable and Wireless PLC). The file contains correspondence with Cable and Wireless and minutes of the Imperial Communications Advisory Committee, regarding: the temporary provision of telegraph services until an alternative wireless set is provided for the island; and the continued maintenance of the company's cable tank depot, used for cable repair operations throughout the region.

A map of the island, showing the location of buildings leased by the companies, can be found at folio 446.

The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the end of the correspondence (folios 1-2).

Extent and format
1 file (456 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in rough chronological order from the rear to the front of the file

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 456; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.

Written in
English in Latin script
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Coll 1/59 'Aden. Lease of the Perim Coal Company at Perim: future of Perim and provision of a wireless set' [‎243r] (485/911), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/1497, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100046487523.0x000057> [accessed 22 July 2026]

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