'File 8/8 VII Annual Administration Report for the Year 1948' [‎136r] (271/322)

13. S H I P P I N_S .
(i) Imports and Exports •
A total of 263 freighters and 680 tankers
called at Bahrain during 1948. There were 234 British,
176 Panamanian and 169 American vessels. Imports of
general cargo were 103,880 tons and exports of general
cargo 74,864 tons. Exports of petroleum products were
6,367,662 tons and 86,200 drums, and imports of Arabian
crude 138,241 tons.
(ii) Landing of Cargo .
Gray Mackenzie & Company Limited, the
Shipping Agents, have almost a monopoly of the landing
of cargo here. There were again a number of complaints
about their arrangements for landing at Sitrah and
Manamah, the delay in the transhipment of cargo from the
former to the latter port, and the pilferage of cargo
from barges waiting to be unloaded. Several meetings of
the merchant community and representatives of the Bahrain
Government and Messrs. Gray, Mackenzie & Co. were held
during the year to consider these complaints when the
Company representative stated that delay often took
place at the swing bridge on the causeway between Manamah
and Muharraq or at the Manamah pier where there was only
one ancient hand crane to handle cargo. He also stated
that his Company had discharged the less reliable of
their tally staff and were attracting a better type of
applicant by paying them higher wages (they are at
present meeting a monthly bill of Rs.20,000/- for tally
staff) and asked the Bahrain Government to provide
guards on barges waiting to be unloaded. The Bahrain
Government have been able to depute a number of police
men for this duty and several pilferers have been caught
as a result. They have also informed the Company that
they have on order a new 10 ton *’Smiths'’ shunting crane
which is expected to be shipped from the United Kingdom
in June 1949 and which will greatly facilitate the
handling of cargo at Manamah pier. Whether the expenses
involved in improving the port facilities in Bahrain,
particularly in building a deep water quay, would be
Justified is a question. What seems certain is that
Bahrain will lose some trade, at any rate, when the new
ports now under construction in Saudi Arabia and Qatar
are opened.
14. POST OFFICE .
The administration of the Post Office at
Bahrain was transferred on 1st April, 1948, from the
Government of Pakistan to His Majesty’s Government and
has since been conducted under the supervision of a
British Postal Superintendent. New premises in Manaroah
have been built expressly as a Post Office by the Bahrain
Government•
Number of registered articles received
n n n « despatched
w " parcels received
n n h despatched
Amount of Money Orders issued
« " *» commission
Total sale of stamps
.. 38,601
.. 37,468
.. 9,982
.. 3,248
Rs.2,98,573/4/-
Rs. 6,914/15/
Rs.3,88,056/4/*
15. ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE