'File 19/165 IV (C 57) Bahrain Reforms' [‎130r] (290/476)

(14)
[Received on 8th February 1930 with Political Secretary's letter No. 4, dated t 1 ie
23rd January 1930.)
Letter from Colonial Office, to 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. , No. 79005/1930, dated the
21st January 1930.
I am directed by Lord Passfield to acknowledge the receipt of your letter
No. P. 7575/29 of the 3rd January [Serial No. (13)], transmitting a copy of corres
pondence on the question of the strength of the British element and the degree of
British interference in the internal administration of Bahrein, and to request that
you will inform Mr. Secretary Benn that he concurs in the course of action proposed
in the 2nd paragraph of your letter.
2. Copies of this letter are being sent to the Foreign Office and the Air Ministry.
(15)
Letter from the Hon'ble Lieutenant-Colonel H. V. Biscoe, Political
Resident in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , No. 43 -S., dated the 13th February 1930.
I have the honour to invite a reference to Mr. Acheson's letter No. F. 164-N./29, /
dated 18th June 1929 [Serial No. (5)], regarding the retention of the services of
Mr. C. deGrenier, Director of Customs, Bahrein. It was therein stated that the
Government of India proposed to await the Resident's views on the general question
of the " westernisation " of Bahrein before deciding on the particular question
of the retention of Mr. deGrenier's services. These views have since been com
municated to the Government of India by my predecessor, and they in turn have
communicated their views to H. M.'s Secretary of State [Serial No. (9)] {vide
telegram No. 3458-S., dated 26th November 1929) [Serial No. (11)].
Mr. de Grenier proposes to proceed on leave in April next, and is naturally
anxious to know whether he is to return or not. I would therefore request that
the Government of India may be pleased to pass orders in the matter.
2. In this connection I would venture to put before the Government of India
the impressions that I gained during my recent visits to Bahrein. The present
Ruler is Shaikh Hamad : he is entirely devoid of energy and has no desire to govern :
he himself is glad to leave everything to the Adviser, and has to be pressed to give
a decision on any matter. He retires on every possible occasion to his country
seat 10 miles from the town in order to avoid petitioners and State worries, and it
is at least doubtful whether, had the succession been allowed to take its course
without any intervention on our part, he would not have been ousted by his more
forceful brother Abdullah. Had the latter succeeded things would probably
have been different but as it is we have to make the best of things as they are.
The only question that really interests Shaikh Hamad is the allowances of himself
and his family, and the A1 Khalifa family have not abandoned the former idea
that the taxes paid by the inhabitants are the just spoils of the Ruling Family.
3. The revenues of Bahrein amount to about 40 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees , and of this 50 percent-
is paid to the Shaikh and his relatives : he has made constant efforts to get this
sum of 5 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees increased but both Colonel Barrett and I have informed him that
we consider it ample, and have refused to agree to any increase.
On the other hand Bahrein has practically only one source of income, the
customs, which collect 97% of the total revenue. If the measure of control which
is at present exercised by Europeans in Bahrein was sensibly relaxed I think there
is very little doubt but that the revenues would be appreciably diminished, and
allowances of the Ruling Family appreciably in«reased, and the result would be,
if not immediate insolvency, at any rate a complete cessation of those educational,
medical and sanitary developments that we have brought about, and which the
people of Bahrein now expect, and clamour for.
4. I am in entire sympathy with the idea that we should work as far as possible
through an Arab administration : no one w r ho has received his earliest training,
as I did, in the Baluchistan school could be otherwise, but we must take account
0 f the actual circumstances. We have a ruler who, practically speaking, refuses
to rule, and there are no state subjects at present sufficiently educated to fill the
more important posts.
MC7oFD