Coll 30/70 'Bahrain: Amendment of contracts of Capt Parke, Commandant of Police, & Mr Belgrave, Adviser to the Sheikh of Bahrain: leave of Mr Belgrave, etc.' [‎14r] (27/379)

It is now nearly two centuries since tine Islands
of Bahrain have become under the kind protection of the Gre£
Britain and we have enjoyed the kind control and organisat
ion of all your officials without any exceptions, but an
idea was created twenty five years ago that we should have
a financial adviser to which we were thankful at the beginn
ing and would have remained so had it not been that we were
so unlucky to get the wrong type of
man to maintain this post. Hereunder we beg to give an
outline of our disapproved and most gravely position.
Mr. G. Dalrymple Belgrave, the financial Adviser
took office in Bahrain in 1921 and he was only to manage and
organise the financial side of the country which he did for
a certain period as there was a strong 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. in the
person of Major Daly, so he was watched carefully and put
back to the right track from now and then. Since about
ten years this gentleman has declared his dictatorship over
Bahrain and ignored every one on these Islands including
our Shaikhs and most of the Political Agents also unless
they are exceptionally outstanding figures.
i
On the occasion of conducting the agreement
between Bahrain Government and American Oil Company, this
man took the liberty without consulting either the local
authorities nor the public representatives and limited the
wages of Bahrain employees in each category no matter what
their capability or ability may be they should not exceed
that limit. People brought from abroad for the same job
receive twice or even more that a Bahraini and both the
persons work in the same post and under the same roof.
Lately this gentleman to give Bahrain Petroleum Company as
much help as he can he stopped Bahrainis from leaving to
Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, ^atar Peninsular etc.
where they get much more pay and cancelled all the Pass
ports previously issued. This action only to force them
to work with this American Company and to show his authority
and his unresistible dictatorship.
This man has utilised the weakness of our present
ruler and had his own way. Below we enumerate the posts
at present are occupied by ei ther Brit ish or Indian Officials
in Bahrain, but only namely as they cannot do any single
thing in their own jobs whatever their experience is. It
might not be believed when we state that he even interferes
in Doctors directorship of hospitals etc. causing one of
the best British Doctors we ever had Dr. Jhons to resign:
1. Finance (his own no doubt)
2. Director of Customs & Port Officer.
3. Education Director.
4. Commandant State Police.
5. State Medical Officer.
6. General Chairman of Municipalities (Moharraq &
7. The Head Judge of the Law Courts. Manamah)
8. The Head Judge of Criminal Courts.
9. State Engineer.
10. Passport Officer.
11. Superintendent Public Works.
EDUCATION