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'Government of Bahrain Administrative Report for the Years 1926-1937' [‎28v] (56/86)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (43 folios). It was created in 1937. 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. .

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34
considerably, there was not a corresponding increase in revenue owing to the use of cheap lo -
power Japanese lamps which were bought by the public in place of the more powerful ligl
which had originally been installed.
In 1352 (1933-34) there was a further increase in revenue: 415 more points were connectc
and power was used for refrigerators, water-pumps, etc. The Electric Department acquired he
sole agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. for International General Electric Company's refrigerators which, after experiments
^th othe/makes, were found to be the most satisfactory. The increase continued through 1353
('1934-35V revenue from sale of energy amounted to Rs 6,000/- more than duimg t e pie\ ou
year but' unfortunately, owing to an experiment which was made by a temporary engineer, there
was a loss of over Rs 5,000/- on wiring. A reduction in the price per point resulted ^ wmng being
carried out by the department at an actual loss, and the amount involved was considerable, as he
department had undertaken a large amount of wiring work for the Bahrain Petroleum Compa y
in addition to the normal work in Manamah and Muharraq. A large quantity of material
ordered at the same time in expectation of wiring orders which did not mateiialise.
First Profitable In 1354 (1935-36) the Electric Department made a profit ot Rs 4,800/-
Year after covering all charges including depreciation. Sixty new premises
were wired, 302 lighting points and 33 fans were installed, and the load
increased by 27 kilowatts. The department carried out all the wiring work for the naval basc at
Jufair and also put in a land telegraph line from the wireless office to the terminus of the
subterranean cable on the coast west of Manamah.
In 1355 (1936-37), the seventh year of the undertaking, the net profit was Rs 16,757 -, the
load increased by 58 kilowatts, and 91 new premises were wired. A new one-ton ice plant was
installed, the existing supply being found insufficient for local requirements, and indications
appeared that the public were beginning to use electric power commercially, tor example, in
carpentry, etc. A three-phase line and underground cable was run from Naimto the new ^ re Jion-
finding station installed by Cable & Wireless Limited, and underground mains replaced the
overhead lines in the customs square. During the winter months the generating sets were run
continuously, for the first time, in order to encourage the use of power appliances.
Future It can be reasonably assumed that during the next two or three }cars
Prosoects. the load will increase. There are still a large number of houses which
are not provided with electric light, and all new houses, especially those
which are built for letting, are nowadays fitted with electric light. During the last year two
engines have frequently been running at the same time in order to cope with peak loads. This
is undesirable and dangerous. It is now proposed to instal a third engine consisting ot one
300 BHP Mirrlees set which will obviate any possibility of a breakdown and which will provide
for future expansion.
A reduction in the rate charged for heating appliances was made during 1355 (1936-37), but
it has not yet been possible to reduce the cost of the unit for lighting or cost of power for other
purposes. It may be possible to effect a reduction during the year 1357 (i;38-3>>).
Telephone In 1351 (1932-33) a public telephone was opened in Manamah, and by
s stem the end of the first year twelve lines had been connected and two were
y ' i n course of erection. The telephone exchange was installed in a room
above the Police Station, which was both a safe and central position. Two young men from the
schools were trained by the State Engineer as operators. The yearly rent for a telephone with
an unlimited number of calls, was Rs 150/-, which was reduced after two years to Rs 125/-, as
it was found possible to reduce the rent and still allow a small profit from the undertaking.
In 1353 (1934-35) an extension of the telephone system was run from the exchange to the
aerodrome in Muharraq in conjunction with the Imperial Airways Company which paid tor
this additional line. In 1354 (1935-36) the exchange was connected to the Bahrain Petroleum
Company Limited telephone system by a trunk line, and another line was erected to the naval
base at lufair In 1355 (1936-37) a new exchange of 25 lines was installed in Manamah, and a
day and night service was instituted. At the end of 1355 (1936-37) it was decided to connect the

About this item

Content

This volume is an administration report covering the years 1926 to 1937 (though in some subjects the report goes further back than 1926) and deals mainly with the activities of the Bahrain Government. It includes text, photographic images, graphs and tables. The report was based on annual reports of the financial and government departments which are made every year. A contents page can be found on folio 3, followed by a General Review by Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, dated December 1937 (folio 4).

The contents are divided into the following sections and sub-sections:

  • Finance (folio 5): Revenue;
  • The State Police and Public Security (folios 5v-10v): The Levy Corps, Political Disturbances, Attempt to assassinate the Shaikh, Indian Levy Corps, Crime and Prostitution, Drugs and Liquor, The State Jail, The Present Police Force, Administration and Routine, Changing Nature of Duties, Recent Innovations, Police Band, Camel Section, Shooting, Uniforms, Police Training in India, and The Naturs;
  • Customs Department and Revenue (folios 10v-13v): Organisation and Establishment, Revenue (Customs Duty, Import Yard charges, Khanchieh, Porterage, Pier Fees, Landing Company, Mainland Cargo, Optional Cargo System, Transhipment Cargo), Transit Cargo, Export Dues, Boat-Building, Customs Improvements, Steamship Lines, and Future Improvements;
  • Judicial (folios 13v-19v): Institution of Courts, The Bahrain Court (Criminal Cases, Civil Cases, Diving Cases, Land Cases, Fish-Trap Cases), The Bahrain Small Court, Shera [Sharia] Court (Sunni and Shia), The Mejlis Tajara [Majlis Tijārah] and Diving Court, Small Mixed Court, Laws and Codes, Police Regulations, and Judicial Legislation (Diving Regulations, Wakils Elected representative or attorney, acting in legal matters such as contracting marriage, inheritance, or business; a high-ranking legal official; could also refer to a custodian or administrator. , Mortgages, Appeals, Statute of Limitations, Liability of Government Servants);
  • Public Works (folios 19v-23v): Roads, Buildings (Suk al-Khamis [Sūq al-Khamīs] Mosque, Idari Water Channel and Mosque, Manamah School and Workshop, Barracks, Police Station, New Customs House, Shops, Palace Wall, Law Courts, Bazaar Buildings, Jufair Naval Base, and Manamah-Muharraq Road;
  • Land Registration (folios 23v-24v): Survey, Reports on Land Cases, Registration of Sales and Titles, Mortgages, Government Title Deeds, Fish-Traps, and Leases and Government Forms;
  • Education (folios 24v-27v): Formation of an Education Committee, Muharraq School Built, Jaffarieh [al-Ja‘farīyah] School, Opening of a Girls' School, Appointment of a School Inspector, Strike of Students and Masters, Reforms in the Schools, Disappearance of School Committees, Amalgamation of Manamah Boys' Schools, Technical Education, Bahrain Boys at Beyrout University [American University of Beirut], Education of the Ruling Family, and Future Development of Education;
  • Electric Department (folios 27v-29r): Original Installation, Muharraq Extension, Share of Municipalities, Progress, State Engineer, Progress, First Profitable Year, Future Prospects, Telephone System, and Summary of Seven Years' Working;
  • Agriculture (folios 29r-31v): Land Tenure, Date Cultivation, Lucerne, Cereals, Cotton, Tobacco, Fruit Trees, and Vegetables.
  • Wakf [Waqf] Administration (ff. 31v-35r): Nature of Wakfs, Shaikh Khalaf, Syed Adnan's Administration, Appointment of a Council, Previous attempts to organise Wakf Department, Progress of Administration and Elections, Results, Future Development, and Sunni Wakf Administration;
  • Passport Department (folio 35r);
  • Municipalities (folios 35r-38r): Constitution and History (Manamah and Muharraq), Municipal Finance, Municipal Taxation, Municipal Achievement, Roads, Manamah (Conservancy, Sanitation, Water Supply, Malaria, Fire Precautions, Markets and Food Regulations, Public Health Measures, Gardens, Cemeteries), and Muharraq Municipality;
  • The Pearl-Diving Industry (folios 38r-40v): General, The Diving System, The Reforms, Demonstrations by Divers, The Slump, Diving Mortgages, Divers' Debts, Transfer of Divers, The Catch, and Recent Changes;
  • Social and Political Developments (folios 41r-42v): Arabs and Baharna, The Baharna, The Townsfolk, Houses, Games, Class Changes, The Ruling Family, and The Women.

Photographic images appear on eleven folios, and they are labelled as follows:

  • Folio 7: 'Sooq Al Khamis Mosque' and 'A Village Dispensary';
  • Folio 11: 'An Artesian Well (Showing head of water)' and 'A Natural Spring (Adari [‘Adhārī])';
  • Folio 14: 'Meat Market', 'Slaughter House', and 'Metal Vegetable Market (Under Construction)';
  • Folio 15: 'Modern Village in Manamah', 'A Street in Manamah', and 'Municipal Garden, Manamah';
  • Folio 16: 'A Small Pearling Dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. ';
  • Folio 21: 'New Customs House and Round-about', 'Government Shops', and 'Women's Dispensary';
  • Folio 22: 'The Palace Manamah', 'Manamah Muharraq Sea Road', and 'The Road (From the Sea)';
  • Folio 25: 'Manamah Boys' School', 'School Workshops', and 'A Village School';
  • Folio 30: 'A road in Manamah' and 'Street in Muharraq';
  • Folio 32: 'A Policeman' and 'Police on Parade';
  • Folio 33: 'Buildings Constructed by Bahrain Government at Naval Base, Jufair [al-Jufayr]', 'Clerk in Charge's House', 'Canteen', and 'Officer's Building'.

Folio 17 is a graph entitled 'A decade of Customs Progress'. A note on the title page reads 'Property of H.B.M. Embassy Bahrain' (folio 2r) and the back cover includes a label that reads: 'Printed at the Dolphin Press, Brighton, England' (folio 43v).

Extent and format
1 volume (43 folios)
Arrangement

This file contains a page of contents (folio 3) which references pages of the report.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: Folios 1-43.

Written in
English in Latin script
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'Government of Bahrain Administrative Report for the Years 1926-1937' [‎28v] (56/86), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/750/1, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100024140826.0x000039> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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