'File 19/176 V (C 81) Bahrain Finances' [‎85r] (178/524)

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the matter he must address me. I think it would be as well
to decide now the attitude we should adopt if he does address
me and also to consider rather more broadly the whole question
of the Shaikh's share of the oil royalties. In theory there
is no very sound reason why Da'ij's and also Ahmad 1 s allowance
should not go on the regular civil list, but this merely
means that there will, be another 7000 or 8000 a year to
go dov^n the drain via Shaikh Hamad. It is not a serious sum
of money in these days in Bahrain, but waste is waste whether
the sum be large or small.
5. Belgrave has written to me saying that the senior
Shaikhs constantly talk to him about the whole money question,
and that "they all disapprove of the way His Highness is
spending money but are all agreed that none of us can mention
the matter to him without making him very angry. They talk
freely about the enormous sums of money which he is spending
on boys — cash presents, cars, houses, land on which he pays
for labour etc., etc., and they and his sons resent this even
more than they resent his increasing and misplaced generosity
to undeserving Bedu from Qatar and elsewhere. There is quite
a lot of local feeling about these Bedu outside the Khalifah
Family. Local people who are some times deserving are given
nothing but no Bedu goes away empty-handed".
6. I cannot really say that resentment either inside or
outside the Family at Shaikh Hamad's wastefulness has yet
produced a serious situation in Bahrain, but I should hesitate
to say that it will not do so in five years' time. Without
going into details I should estimate that Shaikh Hamad takes
in something over Rs 13 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees a year. Of this he pays out as
a regular thing close on 3 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees a year to the A1 Khalifah
Plus some unspecified portion of his old civil list allowance
of Es ij- lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees a year. I suppose it costs him about Rs 3 to 4
lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees a year for household expenses, upkeep of properties,
ent er t a inmen t/