'Government of Bahrain Annual Report for Year 1361 (February 1942 - January 1943)' [263v] (52/76)
The record is made up of 1 volume (37 folios). It was created in 1943. 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.
42
GENERAL.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester's Visit. His Royal Highness the Duke
of Gloucester visited Bahrain on his way to India in June 1942. He travelled incognito and his visit
was private. He was welcomed at the aerodrome by His Highness Shaikh Sulman and Shaikhs
Mohomed and Abdullah and a Guard of Honour was provided by the State Police. His Highness
Shaikh Sulman accompanied His Royal Highness to the Political
Agency
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
where he stayed the night.
His Royal Highness visited His Highness at the Palace where the senior members of the Ruling Family
were presented to him. His Royal Highness accepted from His Highness Shaikh Sulman, as a
memento of the visit, an ancient Arab sword in a gold scabbard and some Bahrain pearls.
The Motor Racket. The excessively high prices paid for motor vehicles in Iraq and Persia
and the shortage of tyres and spare parts in Bahrain was responsible for an abnormal boom in second
hand cars. Old cars changed hands at fantastically high prices and many of them were exported to
Kuwait or Iraq in spite of the fact that it was known that new cars could not be procured from abroad.
As a result of the decreasing number of vehicles, especially lorries, on the roads the use of horse and
donkey carts, with old tyres fitted on the wheels increased during the year.
Poor Relief Measures. Local Sunni and Shia notables decided early in the year to raise
funds for the poor. The need for public relief measures was very urgent. Towards the end of the
year it was apparent that conditions bordering on starvation existed in many villages especially those
not dependent on agriculture. In Manamah and to a lesser extent in Muharraq the poor were better
cared for, until rationing was introduced, because wealthy households distributed generous amounts
of food to their destitute neighbours ; when rationing was introduced this form of charity ceased.
It was suggested that one committee should be formed to deal with the matter but the Sunnis
and Shias found it impossible to combine, so a Sunni committee under the
presidency
The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent.
of
Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad was set up and a Shia committee presided over by Haj Mansur
A1 Arayadh. The Sunnis collected Rs. 32,000 from the public and the Shias collected Rs. 15,000.
The Government gave Rs. 10,000 to each committee. Unfortunately dissensions and disagreements
arose about the methods of collecting money which threatened to develop into a serious sectarial
dispute. This was averted by the Government insisting on there being one central committee under
the
presidency
The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent.
of His Excellency Shaikh Abdullah bin Isa Alkhalifah with two sub-committees, one
Sunni and one Shia. The Shias organised the distribution of the food which they bought with their
funds in a careful and satisfactory manner, the Sunnis however laid themselves open to charges of
favouritism and mismanagement.
Gift of Dates from His Majesty King Ibn Saoud. Soon after the date harvest the export
of dates from Saoudi Arabia was forbidden by the Government. The Bahrain Relief Committees
had before this sent money to Qatif to buy dates. Owing to the embargo they were unable to get
permission to export the dates to Bahrain. His Majesty King Ibn Saoud instead of allowing the
export, which would have set up a precedent, presented to His Highness Shaikh Sulman 15.000 baskets
of dates worth about Rs. 60.000 for distribution to the poor of Bahrain, a gesture which was very
greatly appreciated by the people of Bahrain. His Highness Shaikh Sulman divided most of this
gift among the two committees who distributed it among the people. At the same time the Bahrain
Government waived the payment by the Saoudi Government of the price of 3,000 bags of Canadian
wheat which had been supplied to Saoudi Arabia.
Bahrain Levies. Two companies of local levies were enlisted by the Bahrain Government
and then taken over by the officers of the Royal Air Force Levies. For some time the police fort was
used as their headquarters and the men were housed in the old palace west of the fort which was lent
for this purpose by His Highness Shaikh Sulman. N.C.O.s from the State Police were provided for
training the recruits until the Levy personnel arrived from Iraq. In order to facilitate the enlistment
o( ™7 ° f , ,he men , w t ho w ; er f d lvers the Bahrain Government repaid to the nakhudas the advances
which had been made to enlisted men for the diving season on the understanding that this sum, about
Rs. 3.000 would be recovered from the recruits by monthly instalments. Had this not been done the
diving nakhudas would have made a justifiable protest to the Government.
The camps in which the Levies were finally stationed were among the many military building
works carried out by the Bahrain Government Public Works Department. g
About this item
- Content
This volume is the Annual Report of the Government of Bahrain for the year 1361 AH (1942-1943) and gives te details of the Revenue and Expenditure of the Bahrain State and contains notes on the activities of the various Government departments, as well as the budget 1362 and some particulars of importance which took place in Bahrain during the year. It includes text, photographic images, graphs and tables. The report appears to be compiled from reports from various Government departments and officials. An index appears on folio 240r, followed by a General Review by Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain, dated 19 May 1943 (folios 243v-244r).
The contents are divided into the following sections and sub-sections:
- Death of His Highness Shaikh Hamad [Ḥama bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah] and Accession of His Highness Shaikh Salman [Salmān bin Ḥamad Āl Khalīfah] (folios 241r-243r);
- Budget 1361(folio 244v);
- Summary of Revenue and Expenditure 1361 (folio 245r);
- Statement of Revenue and Expenditure 1361 (folio 245v);
- Note on Revenue 1357 (folio 246r);
- Note on Expenditure 1357 (folio 246r-246v);
- Public Works Department (folios 246v-247r): Government Hospital, Manama Sea Road, Manama-Muharraq Road, and Manama Palace;
- The Diving Industry (folio 247r-247v);
- Police and Public Security (folios 247v-248v): Strength, Promotions, Routine, Jail, Crime, List of Police Prosecutions in the Bahrain Courts 1361 and List of Prosecutions in the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. Court 1361;
- Air Raid Precautions (folio 248v);
- Public Health (folios 250r-254v): Men's Hospital, by Dr R H B Snow, State Medical Officer (Summary of Male Statistics of the Bahrain Government Hospital and Dispensaries 1361 (1942), Special Notes (The death of His Highness Sheikh Sir Hamad bin Esa Al Khalifah, K C I E, C S I, The Administration Block, The Services, Anti-Malarial Work, The Schools, The Police, Laboratory and X-Ray Work), Predominating Men's Outpatient Diseases, Bahrain Government Hospital Inpatients, Major Operations, Minor Operations, Injections, Inoculations, Vaccinations, Isolation Hospital In-Patients, Men's Dispensaries, Comments), Women's Hospital, by Dr I M A Doeg, Lady Medical Officer (Out-Patients, Diseases Treated, In-Patients, and Result of Obstetric Cases), and Matron's Report;
- Land Registration Department (folios 254v-255r);
- Judicial (folios 255r-255v): The Bahrain Courts, Bahrain Small Court, Shara [Sharia] Courts, Majlis Tijara [Majlis Tijārah], and Appeal Court;
- Municipalities (folio 255v-256r): Manamah Municipality and Muharraq Municipality;
- Wakf [Waqf] Departments (folio 256r);
- Education (folios 256-259): Boys' Schools, by Mr F J Wakelin, Director of Education (The Hostel, The Secondary School, Manamah Primary School, Muharraq Primary School, Hedd Primary School, Village Schools, Staff, Books, Syllabus, Examinations, Games, General, Policy, and Finance), Girls' Schools, and Technical School, by Mr G E Hutchings, Principal (Students, Staff, Equipment, and Contract work and standard craftsmanship);
- Minors Department (folios 259v-260r);
- Agriculture (folio 260r-260v);
- Passport Department (folios 260v-261r);
- Food Control (folios 261r-263r), including Comparison in Princes between Pre-War and Present Rates;
- General (folio 263v): Hs Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester's Visit, The Motor Rocket, Poor Relief Measures, Gift of Dates from His Majesty King Ibn Saoud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd], and Bahrain Levies;
- State Engineer's Department, report by Mr W B Steele, State Engineer (folios 264r-270v): Statement of Energy generated, sold, etc., Balance Sheet, Profit and Loss Account, Load and Revenue Curve 1360, and Load and Revenue Curve 1361;
- Oil Gauging (folios 268r-269r): Graph showing Field Production and Crude Oil Imports 1941 and Graph showing Field Production and Crude Oil Imports 1942;
- Customs Department (folios 271r-273r);
- Budget 1362 (folio 273v);
- Note on Budget 1362 (folio 274r).
Illustrations appear on four folios and they are labelled as follows:
- Folio 241: 'His Late Highness Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Alkhalifah, K.C.I.E., C.S.I.';
- Folio 242: 'His Highness Shaikh Sulman bin Hamad Alkhalifah, K.C.I.E., Ruler of Bahrain';
- Folio 249: 'Bahrain Government Hospital';
- Folio 262: 'H.R.H. The Duke of Gloucester with H.H. Shaikh Sir Sulman'.
On folio 274v there is an inscription that reads 'The Times of India Press, Bombay'.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (37 folios)
- Arrangement
This file contains an index (folio 240r) which references pages of the report.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: Folio 238-275.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
'Government of Bahrain Annual Report for Year 1361 (February 1942 - January 1943)' [263v] (52/76), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/750/7, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100024140828.0x00007d> [accessed 6 December 2024]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100024140828.0x00007d
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_100024140828.0x00007d">'Government of Bahrain Annual Report for Year 1361 (February 1942 - January 1943)' [‎263v] (52/76)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100024140828.0x00007d"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000193.0x0002d7/IOR_R_15_1_750_0558.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_100000000193.0x0002d7/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/1/750/7
- Title
- 'Government of Bahrain Annual Report for Year 1361 (February 1942 - January 1943)'
- Pages
- front-f, front-f-i, 239r:274v, back-f-i, back-f
- Author
- Belgrave, Sir Charles Dalrymple
- Usage terms
- The copyright status is unknown. Please contact [email protected] with any information you have regarding this item.