!['File 9/4 Bahrain Reforms. Introduction of Reforms in Bahrain' [‎73r] (162/224)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000193.0x000362/IOR_R_15_2_131_0162.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "'File 9/4 Bahrain Reforms. Introduction of Reforms in Bahrain' [‎73r] (162/224)")
'File 9/4 Bahrain Reforms. Introduction of Reforms in Bahrain' [73r] (162/224)
The record is made up of 1 volume (98 folios). It was created in 30 Dec 1921-27 Jul 1924. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
I -J
Serial No. 295. F rom the H onourable the P olitical Resident in the
r^ersian (j ULF , BuSHIRE, MEMORANDUM No. 124 -S. of 1924 DATED 17TH
(received 25th) F ebruary 1924.
. , Reference Foreign and Political Department telegram No. 315-S, dated
^ fo e o bl . Uar ? (^ er i a l No. 285). I enclose a copy of a memorandum
Ao. dated 15th February, I have sent to
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.
, Bahrein,
on the subject of the reform of the Pearling Industry.
I have given Major Daly a rough outline of my ideas on the subject
demi-omcially some little time ago, but events in Bahrain and pressure of
more important work has prevented the matter being pursued.
I cannot say at present if accounts anything on the lines I suggest are
possible, but if they are, and stringent orders are issued by the Shaikh that
Nakhudas should keep intelligible accounts, and Nakhudas who refuse to do
so (or merely are too lazy to) are punished, then I think some arrangement
of the sort will suffice. If so, Nakhudas who keep proper accounts and keep
their divers properly informed of the state of their account and treat them
decently need never be interfered with by the State, or their financial posi
tion, etc., become public.
The drawback to the suggested arrangement of having a special Pearl
ing Department of State seems to me to be that it involves an excessive
amount of State interference and makes the financial position of the
Nakhudas public property, which in certain circumstances may easily affect
them adversely.
Enclo. of Serial No. 295. — M emorandum to the P olitical A gent, B ahrain,
N o . 122-S. of 1924, dated B ushire, the 15 th February 1924.
In their telegram No. 315-S. of 8th February (Serial No. 285). Foreign
stated that Government are awaiting my proposals about the reform of the
diving rules.
As you know, I am rather of the opinion that the reforms outlined in
para. 5 of your memorandum No. 208-C., dated 17th December 1923 (Enclo.
of Serial No. 260) and repeated to Government in my Express Letter No.
712-S, dated 21st December 1923 (Serial No. 259), are too drastic and, in
point of fact, lead to too much interference by the State in the Pearling
Industry. Apart from this I do not know that there is sufficient time to in
troduce it before the pearling season. In a communication some little time
ago I myself outlined a scheme which may or may not be feasible, and I
repeat it somewhat amplified below. Perhaps something on these lines
might be tried this year and if it is not successful the other scheme of creat
ing a separate State Department to run the Pearling Industry might be tried.
The scheme I suggest is roughly this:—
Shaikh Hamad should issue a proclamation stating that for some time
past it has come to his knowledge that grave abuses exist in the pearling in
dustry in Bahrain, particularly the slackness of the nakhudas in keeping
accounts, the result of which is that divers cannot obtain their just dues.
He therefore orders that all nakhudas should keep regular accounts which
should begin with "Guffal" 1923. The accounts should be drawn up on the
lines of the sample account attached to the notification and should consist
of a general account for the whole of the Nakhudas transactions, togetner
with separate accounts for each diver and hauler; each of the latter should
be given a small book containing a certified copy of this account. I he
amounts carried forward on to these accounts should be verified eitxier irom
his previous account or by oath before the Qazi or by agreement between
Nakhuda and diver. The proclamation might go on to say that ignorance
of letters or figures on the part of the Nakhudas will not be accepted as an
excuse for incorrect or improperly made out accounts, that Nakhudas must
engage clerks if they cannot do the accounts themselves, a big Nakhuda a
special clerk and the small nakhudas a share of a clerk. Finally he could
say that a diver asking to have his account settled before the balnah or the
L XI—899
ii
About this item
- Content
The volume contains printed copies of Government of India confidential correspondence, relating to the Bahrain reforms. The majority of the letters contained in volume are printed copies of correspondence originally sent to the Government of India either by the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Trevor or Acting Resident Lieutenant-Colonel Stuart Knox), or 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. at Bahrain (Major Clive Daly). Much of the correspondence featured in the volume can be found in the original (or as office copies) in a number of files in the two Bahrain Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. subsubseries ‘File 9 Bahrain Reforms’ (IOR/R/15/2/127-138) and ‘File 8 Miscellaneous’ (IOR/R/15/2/121-126), and the Bushire Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. subsubseries ‘File 19 Bahrain’ (IOR/R/15/1/314-77).
The printed correspondence contained in the volume covers a range of subjects:
- Events leading up to the programme of reforms carried out in Bahrain: allegations of the oppression of Bahraini subjects by members of the Āl Khalīfah family, violence, the deteriorating economic situation;
- The reforms proposed and implemented by British officials: replacement of Shaikh ‘Īsá by Shaikh Ḥamad as defacto ruler, economic reforms, judicial reforms, pearl diving industry reforms, customs house reforms;
- Specific incidents of violence involving Sunnis and Shias, or Najdis and Persians.
Some of the papers in the volume are accompanied by duplicate copies:
- Folios 61-64 are duplicates of folios 57-60;
- Folios 68-69 are duplicates of folios 66-67;
- Folios 81-84 are duplicates of folios 77-80.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (98 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume's contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, starting with the earliest items at the front and finishing with the latest items at the end.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using uncircled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. . Most of the items in the volume are printed items that have their own internal pagination systems, using printed numbers in the top-right corners of recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. pages and the top-left corners of verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. pages, or centred at the top of both verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. and recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. pages. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
'File 9/4 Bahrain Reforms. Introduction of Reforms in Bahrain' [73r] (162/224), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/131, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023403812.0x0000a3> [accessed 26 April 2024]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023403812.0x0000a3
Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023403812.0x0000a3">'File 9/4 Bahrain Reforms. Introduction of Reforms in Bahrain' [‎73r] (162/224)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023403812.0x0000a3"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000193.0x000362/IOR_R_15_2_131_0162.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000193.0x000362/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/2/131
- Title
- 'File 9/4 Bahrain Reforms. Introduction of Reforms in Bahrain'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 1ar:1fv, 2r:15r, 17v:18v, 21r:42v, 44v:46v, 47v:71v, 73r:74v, 75v:79r, 80v:83r, 84v:91r, 92v:93r, 94v:103v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence