'File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Summaries' [‎14r] (27/330)

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Intelligence Summary of the
Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Bahrain, for
the period 16th to 28th
February 1943.
42 4 Shipping
SECRET
No. 4 of 1943
See Appendix to this Summary.
43• The Royal Air Force
(i) At the beginning of the period under report a Wellington
aircraft en route from Sharjah to Gwadur made a forced landiSj near
Bidyap on the ohamailiyah Coast, One of the crew was killed.^ Loca]
Arabs are reported to havt been friendly and reasonably helpful.
bv th^p A n T? Arab ha | be en billed by a bomb during bombing practice
repofoed*^* * near Sbar J ai • Political reactions have not yet been
Food Supplies - Bahrain
(i) Cereals
. 3 n o . It is t stimated that stocks will
miuale oi April. This estimate assumes the arrival
of a final shipment of rice from Calcutta*
last until the
during March
(ii) Dates
oince the Iraq Government lifted their embargo
on tne export of dates at the end of January rather more than 200
t,or f s of bates bave in Bahrain. A further 2000 tons is on
order. The price of dates in Basrah, already very high, is reported
to have risen by 20 * during the last fortnight, presumably as a
result oi one heavy demano from Bahrain andother Gulf Shaikhdoms.
(iii) General :-
Cereals are rationed stringently and the price of
uates, although controller., is so high that poor people can only
attord to buy them in small quantities. In these circumstances
it is not surprising that the standard of health among the poorer
classes of the community :s deteriorating rapidly. The old" and
irail have been the first tc suffer - and the State Medical Officer
has already reported a number of deaths among old people caused pri
marily by malnutrition. Children of the poorer classes are also
showing the effects of un< ei-nourishment, A further indication of
4 .the the decline in^/economic w If are of the community is the steadily
rising number of thefts arc! ourglaries reported to the police.
Local resources have been utilised to the utmost - but local
resources, so far as foodstuffs are concerned, are limited to
dates and fish and a negligible quantity of wheat. The whole of
the date crop has been kei for human consumption, though in normal
years dates are fed in large quantities to transport animals. A
result of this diversion of food from animals to human beings is
that donkeys also are suffering hardship. Not only have donkeys
oeen deprived of their normal nourishing food but, owing to the
ever-increasing shortage of motor transport, they have had to carry
heavier burdens for longer lours$ and many of them are breaking
down. ^ILe position in repaid to fish is that demand exceeds supply.
To satisfy the increased oerand it is necessary for fishermen to
fish by night as well as t y day - and this they cannot do without
an additional meal of datos, which they cannot" afford to buy.
Relief Committees j .av e been established which distribute food
to specially deserving cases, and regional centres have been opened
at v/hich dates are sold by the Bahrain Government at cost price.
These /-