'File 19/169 IV Bahrain reforms' [‎14r] (27/124)

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it is lack of actual trained people willing to come
to Bahrain which is the trouble, rather than a low-
ness in the scales of pay. He has succeeded in
engaging a new matron. Incidentally the provision
of an air-cooled operating theatre for the Manamah
Hospital is under consideration.
7. i think that the expenditure on Health
should be stepped up with particular attention to
the urgent needs of the poorer people and the best
course .would be to ask Snow for his views. I have
already made the suggestion to Belgrave, and doubt
less he will aLxic/in due course. The provision of
the necessary funds will come under paragraphs on
financial review.
8. Engineering: This department seems to have
gone through the blackest period and to be on the up
grade.
As regards staff: Th^ Department as a
whole is under the control of Leigh whose powers
in major works and finance are centralized through
Belgrave to the Sheikh and the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. .
9. i do not think that there is anything calling
for remedy in this except the actual control of the
State Engineer's budget. At the present time all ex
penditure is controlled by Belgrave. This seems to me
to be a needless call on his time and a source of both
annoyance and delay in the Engineering Department.
Belgrave tells me that he is willing to delegate the
control of the expenditure under the Engineering budget
to the State Engineer in the same way as he has done
with the Health Budget. That is to say that the State
Engineer will be authorized to control the funds provided
up to the limit of his budget allotment by drawing upon
an account in the Eastern Bank. ^ x 6* s ,
leflxn
10. ' As regards engineering personnel, an Assistant
9 Engineer has been engaged by Belgrave, vide my Demi-
TyA*- • Official letter No.C/258, dated the 6th of March, 1946.
It is to be hoped that he will fill the bill but as he
was engaged without our knowledge and has been on his
way out for some weeks nothing can be done now but to
wait and see how he turns out. He will come under the
superintendence of the State Engineer and his main duties
will be Public Works and Roads. Furthermore the ser
vices of an oil-gauger are being acquired, see my Demi-
official letter ^o.c/196 dated the 19th of February,
1946, and if this person is eventually engaged he will
be available for the water supply side of the Islands'
" engineering problems. Two more Indian electricians are
being engaged to strengthen the power-House staff to
the required standard.
11. As regards equipment, generators, power plants,
etc.: To replace the old generators which are worn out
and which can only be considered as a very inadequate
reserve, the State have the new plant No.4 - vide para
graphs 2(b) and 2(c) of my memorandum No .c /1152 dated the
/29th