'File 19/165 II (C 20) Bahrain Reforms' [‎119r] (258/494)

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da any ohaage latooducsd will be deeply reae^ted oy the
J-kiiw.aii or i-earliiig masters , wao wider e^iatiag ociaditloxw
xiav® ^jj^oiuteiy tneir owa way. Besides tiiiis
in the pearlingayztm are rite thro'ughout the Crull , and
will ocas ider rel orad at B -nraia iavidlcaa . as
l as 1 o c -a Judge abuaes Are worst at ^atar or the
Trueiai doast t while Bahrain coBea a«»ooo4' t oonditloaa at
Kuwait are auch better . la the^e oiromstsacea it might
be argued that it is not advisable to take up the reform-
atioa of the P.^hr-in pearling ^ystea indei-endentiy the
other yearling centres, aid uhat^f relora^ ia necessary^
tint refariE of the whole industry throughout the Gulf should
be t*ken in hand. against this however it be said
that Bahrain is the hub of the wnoJUi industry, that we ea-
eroise muoh a ore Jurisdiction in Bahrain than in .%ny other
pearling centre and therefor# incur mcsre responsibility for
abuses at that place, that if reioras are suooessiuily
inturduced at B hrain an insi.roveaent will slowly but surely
result in the whole Industry on the divers realizing that
the hardships of their lot csn be so greatly acueliorated,
finally tnat we are not in a position to ref or a l»he
whole industry at once as we have no authority at all to
interfere at Lingah or on Bin baud's Coast and very little
at ^atar. In the oirodmstanees f as we are introducing
reforms at Bahr-in we auet, in ay opinion, do something for
the pearling inn us try on which the welfare of the Islands
depend* .
X would not suggest the sligntest cnange in the gener
al rules and usages oi the pearling system whion nave been
in tore# from tiae laaeaorial*, what is necessary is to en
force these rules with a ore regard to the interests of the
aivers and mulers , these oi the Jaanuda« being almost »x~
clusi-vely considered at present. The first essential is
that the i-fifichudas should keep accurate and intelligible
accounts , the second is that ®aoh diver should be given a
copy