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Coll 1/59 'Aden. Lease of the Perim Coal Company at Perim: future of Perim and provision of a wireless set' [‎113r] (225/911)

The record is made up of 1 file (456 folios). It was created in 24 Jun 1935-21 Oct 1937. It was written in English. 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. .

Transcription

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Aa a raault oX tha witiidrawal oX ttm
ierim Coal Co* it will ba noceaeary Xor
Covamaant to maintain faini.aum eaoantial
sai'Tioea to provide Xor the aaali amount oX
liXe (consisting oX lighthouse keepers axid a
a sail village > etiil left on the island.
Arrangementa tove accordingly been made Xor
water supply, medical Xaoiliti©8,and
graphic communication with Aden by means oX
a ©mall wireless set. It has also been
agreed that the Superintendent oX the email
armed police Xoroe on the island should be
given certain administrative power©, and
th&t regular visits oX inspection should be
paid to the island by an oXXioial Xrom Aden,
in the light oX the arrangement© which
Government are making. Cable and Wireless Ltd
have apparently reconsidered their position,
and Xeel that they might be able, while
closing their actual cable station on the
inland,to maintain their small repair depot
and cable tank©. It is understood that
about 8U miles of cable are kept at Perim,
and that it is a most useXu^ centre Xor
cable repairs, being the only place Xor the
purpose between Sues and Mombasa. Their
diX&oulty is that hitherto the ierim Coal
Co. has done all their business Xor them as
their agentc, and iX they iaaintain tne depot
they will have to have a stuXX consisting
of a Xoreman and Xive or six semi-skilled men,
and arrangements will have to be made Xor
supervision oX these men and Xor the supply
oX water and accommodation.
in/

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Content

The file contains papers regarding the operation of certain businesses on Perim, negotiations for their withdrawal from the island, and arrangements for the Government of India to assume responsibility for maintaining essential services previously provided by the companies.

The papers primarily concern the position of the Perim Coal Company - a subsidiary of Lambert Brothers Ltd. - and consist of correspondence regarding: the lease held by the company (copy at ff 445-54); their financial circumstances, and reasons for ceasing operations on Perim; arrangements for early termination of the lease through a deed of surrender (copy at ff 123-25); and the proposed sale of a water condensing plant and accessories to the Government of India.

Throughout their period of operation on the island the company provided certain essential services: a company employee acted as Government Agent on the island, and they also provided sanitation and medical services; the supply of water, ice and electricity; and oversaw the lighting and buoying of the harbour. Arrangements for the assumption of these duties by the Government of India and Aden authorities are also discussed in the correspondence.

The correspondence also concerns other businesses operating on Perim, namely the Asiatic Petroleum Company, the Lloyd's signal station, the Shell Transport and Trading Company Ltd., and the Eastern Telegraph Company (owned by Cable and Wireless PLC). The file contains correspondence with Cable and Wireless and minutes of the Imperial Communications Advisory Committee, regarding: the temporary provision of telegraph services until an alternative wireless set is provided for the island; and the continued maintenance of the company's cable tank depot, used for cable repair operations throughout the region.

A map of the island, showing the location of buildings leased by the companies, can be found at folio 446.

The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the end of the correspondence (folios 1-2).

Extent and format
1 file (456 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in rough chronological order from the rear to the front of the file

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 456; 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.

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English in Latin script
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Coll 1/59 'Aden. Lease of the Perim Coal Company at Perim: future of Perim and provision of a wireless set' [‎113r] (225/911), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/1497, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100046487522.0x00001b> [accessed 8 August 2026]

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