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'File 1/A/48 III FOOD CONTROL.' [‎42r] (83/560)

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The record is made up of 1 file (278 folios). It was created in 31 Jan 1942-8 Aug 1942. It was written in English and Arabic. 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. .

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No: PA/FC/
THE CUSTOFHOUSE:
BAHRAIN:
£5th March, 194£.,
7th Rabia.I., 1361.,
To: -
H.B.M 1 8 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:
MEMORANDUM:-
FOOD POSITION:
In reference to the position of the State of Bahrain
as regards food supplies, the position is this: in general
terras we have imported enough of the principal commodities
to last six months, which, I suggest, ia as far ahead as one
can reasonably see.
2* * So long as we ensure a six months 1 stock in Bahrain,
it is well to allow the importers to export as much surplus as
they may wish, because they thus gain enhanced profits. If
export s were totally stopped the locals would refuse to import;
anofSen the Bahrain Oovernment would have to import; and, as
the Government cannot do such work as successfully as the
merchants, it is well to permit them to export their surplus,
especially remembering that so many of the merchants are not
Bahrain subjects.
Our last effort at creating a Government reserve, though
justified by the uncertainty of the situation, narrowly escaped
being a financial failure, owing to a falling market.
(j The present situation is worse; because Government cannot
^ import from Java or from Rangoon direct, but would have to bay
from stocks now in India, if the necessary permits could be^
pbtained. Government could not buy cheaper than the merchants
because the Food Control in India has been a failure. ^
J> It is inevitable that prices will go up in Bahrain
consistently with Indian prices. This must be recognised, and
Higher Authorities must consider some measure of relief on this
account. For instance, I calculate that the cost of the daily
food of an employe of the intelligentsia type has increased by
95^ since the outbreak of war.
& The outstanding danger to the food position of Bahrain
is the laek of transport from India to Bahrain. For some long
time there have been slight steamer facilities for Indian food
stuffs from India to Irag, as most of such space has been
reserved for military requirements; and the foodstuffs which go
to Irag from India have passed on native craf£, and will continue
to do so. Hence, such craft are not available for Bahrain,
apart from the difficulty of the monsoon weather. Consequently,
Bahrain has to rely upon such steamers as the B.I.S.N.Coy.Ltd.,
can produce; and this must not be forgotten.
7 It is therefore my considered opinion that, so long as the
nterchants of Bahrain continue to carry good stocks( which must be
carefully watched), and are prevented for profiteering in Bahrain,
but are given a free hand outside Bahrain, and there is adequate
transport for the renewals of such stocks, there is no need for
Government action in the present situation, but
It ought to be clearly pointed out (as I fear it is not) to the
big ccnsuming companies outside Bahrain, such as the CASOC, and
Petroleum Concessions Ltd, and to some extent the EAFCC, that they
cannot rely upon the local market to supply their wants; and such
firms should take precautions on their own account to ensure a
good stock on hand for their own needs. Later on, it is possible
that the question of ’’unwanted mouths” may arise, as it is clear
that the needs of Bahrain nationals must
FOOD
take precedence.
ETC.
LLER.

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Content

The file concerns the effects of the implementation of controls on the import and export of food and other commodities in Bahrain and the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. during the Second World War (1939-45).

The main correspondents are 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 (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield); the Government of India; the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Agent, Sharjah; the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave); the Food Controller, Bahrain (Claud Cranbrook Lewis deGrenier); and the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain (also deGrenier).

The papers include: Food Controller's report for the year 1941 (folios 2-9); correspondence between Petroleum Concessions (Qatar) Limited, and 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 concerning difficulties caused by the curtailment of the company's supplies by the Food Controller, Bahrain (folios 10-29); the legal implications of hoarding, and related matters (folios 31-33); report by the Food Controller on stocks of food in Bahrain (folio 42); report on control of exports from Bahrain (folios 51-52); statistics of average monthly consumption of staple commodities in Bahrain, and minimum annual requirements of foodstuffs and textiles (folios 61-63); copy of regulation making all exports dependent on the permission of the Food Controller (folios 68-70); the support 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 a petition from a group of merchants to allow the re-export of piece goods (folios 75-77); correspondence from the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Agent, Sharjah detailing commodities required for consumption on the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. ; correspondence concerning acute shortages of wheat and flour in Bahrain; correspondence concerning 'famine' conditions on the coast of Persia (e.g. folios 96-98); an estimate of the wartime increase in the cost of living in Bahrain (folio 107); the difficulties faced by Bahrain merchants in exporting goods to India, including an allegation that they needed to give bribes to customs officials at Karachi (folios 158-159, 163-165); a confidential memorandum critical of the Food Controller, Bahrain (folio 169); the use of Bahrein Petroleum Company (BAPCO) tankers for the transportation of foodstuffs (e.g. folios 185-186); and the effect on Bahrain of food shortages in India (folio 220).

The Arabic language content of the volume consists of a single letter (with English translation) on folio 90.

The date range gives the covering dates of the correspondence; the last addition to the file is an entry in the notes on folio 279 dated 9 August 1942.

Extent and format
1 file (278 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file, except where enclosures of an earlier date are filed after their relevant covering letter, and terminate in a set of notes (folios 249-279). Circled serial numbers in red crayon refer to entries in the notes.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 280; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 1-279; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 1/A/48 III FOOD CONTROL.' [‎42r] (83/560), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/171, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100028495403.0x000054> [accessed 19 April 2024]

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