‘File 29/21 - IV FOOD SUPPLY RICE' [‎5r] (9/194)

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DOHA^^ ^HP A i
30th Se^tfinber 1949.
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Your 2569-29/21 of 26tH^September.
2. Abdullah Darv/ish 1 s account of his activities in
connection with this rice seems to have been quite frank,
and he has certainly kept me fully informed of the
consignment’s movements and of his professed intentions
with regard to its disposal. The Government of Q,atar has
not in the past taken any action itself to secure delivery
ot its quota supplies, - this was left in the hand of a
committee of the leading merchants. As the general supuly
position improved, these mainly lost interest and the
committee may now be considered moribund. Then "difficult**
commodities such as wheat and Egyptian rice were to be
handled, the committee,according to Abdullah, refused to
handle them, or at any rate were quite prepared to leave
him to handle them entirely at his own expense. This he
did, as he says because the P.A. pointed out to him that
if Qatar refused a quota when it was offered, the offer
might not be made again in time of need.
3. He therefore took a large shipment of wheat,
on v/hich he says he has lost about 80,000 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. already
and is likely to lose more) and also agreed to handle this
Egyptian rice, w T hich is not in demand in Qatar except
amongst those too poor to be able to pick and choose. He
certainly does not stand to make much profit on it, as
he will be faced by competition from the more sought after
Persian varieties, the price of which is at present tending
to fall slightly. He is full of the most virtuous
protestations of his intention to give the stuff away to
the poor at cost price, with no profit for himself at all
etc etc., and I am inclined to believe him, because I
imagine it is a case of the virtue born of necessity.
4. His agreement with the shipping agents was for
delivery direct to Umm Sa’id, but in this he has been
frustrated by his failure to obtain a pilot (I am writing
separately about this). He hopes not to lose on the
shipping charges as the Agents accepted the cargo for
delivery to Qatar and the rice# was unloaded in Bahrain
against his w r ishes. In the circumstances I hope The
Bahrain Government can be persuaded not to levy transit
dues on this cargo which is a Qatar Government quota
which has gone astray by mischance. This might help me
in my efforts to get a proper !, Tamween' , sj^stem organised,
since at present I have no lever whatsoever, Abdullah
Darwish is in fact the country’s "Tamween" because he is
the only man with the money and ability to handle the stuff,
and the foresight to accept, even at the risk of a loss,
a cargo which the rest would prefer to refuse,and opportunities
of unloading as truck anything which he cannot dispose of
by any other means.
/As a result
H. G. Jakins Esq.,
H. ] . 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.
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