'File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Summaries' [‎3r] (5/330)

(ii) Reference par^gr-ph 198 (ii) of Intelligence oumrrery
No. 18 of 1942 in which~me*ntion was made of the 7835 tons of
IvLE,.S.C. 'pool* oagar stored in Br.hrAin.
2000 tons of this sug' : -r is to he shipped to B^sr-s
this month, and a further 2000 tons in February.
(iii) A meeting of the Bahrain Food Committee-, presided
over by Shaikh Abdullah bin Isa al Khalif^h, v>/ s held on
January 12th e Bahrain’s food problems were discussed from
every angle, and a number of important resolutions were p ssed.
The substance of these resolutions was as follows
(a) Rice. wheat ^nd flour . As the export of these commodi
ties from Karachi, the principal source of supply, be d been
prohibited, it was necessary to ensure that the smell stocks
already in the Island were made to last ~s # long as possible.
The ageregate rice + flour/whert ration was already so low
that it could hardly be reduced further. But °s stocks of
rice were likely to be exhausted some weeks before stocks of
flour/wheat, the Committee decided th^t the rice ration
should be reduced from 12 lbs to 8 lbs per adult per month,
and that the flour/wheat ration should be increased by 4 lbs.
There has been much grumbling in the past at the smallness
of the rice ration of 12 lbs per month, and the Committee’s
decision will be unpopular with local ;rabs, whose main
article of diet is rice. The decision is, nevertheless^ 4
wise one, and is indicative of the realistic attitude wnich^
responsible people in Bahrain are at 1 st adopting in reg -rd
to the food problem.
(b) Sugar . As it has hot been possible to obtain^sugar from
India for some months, and existing stocks are running 1c 4 ,
the Committee decided that the sugar ration of 4 lbs per ^dult
per month should be reduced to B^lbs until such time as it was
possible to obtain further supplies from India.
(c) Dates . In the markets of Manama and Muharraq, and^in
villages where there are no date palms, dates ^re unobt’.in- ole.
It is^believed, however, that there are privately held stocks
of dates which are being kept for release if and when the
controlled price of dates is raised. The Committee were
unable to suggest any remedial measure but hoped that if, as
was expected, a substantial quantity of dates 'rrived from
Kuwait, local hoarders would “then, in their own interests,
put their stocks on the market.
Economic
The inhabitants of certain villages on the west cc^st^of
the Island, who have no cultivable land but are dependent -or
their livelihood on diving and weaving, are reported to be
in a deplorable state of destitution. The Poor Relief Com
mittee have been asked to give assistance in the more deserv
ing cases.
3audi Arabian Affair s
At the end of November an article was published in the
newspaper ”A1 Bahrain” containing an appeal to the people .of
Oatif to found a school there. This article, which was signed