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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' [299r] (597/911)
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
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
might/
good impression if the Company were forthcoming on the
subject of the plant. He confirmed that there was no
difficulty about the plant, and this brought him to his
second point, which was whether, if they took over the
plant temporarily, the Government would also wish to
take over any staff. This was an important point, as
the Company were withdrawing their staff and now only had
a skeleton staff of six on the Island. I said that we
had heard from Sir Bernard Reilly that even if the
Government had to run the water supply, etc. any technical
staff, other than that locally recruited, would be
available from Aden. The Company need not, therefore,
worry about the staff question so far as that was
concerned.
3. Mr. Wallis went on to say in confidence that
there was now quite a firm prospect of the Asiatic
staying in the Island. He understood that this was not
unconnected with the activities of the Bahrein
Petroleum Company, the idea apparently being that the
Asiatic would be reluctant to leave a station unoccupied
which might be snapped up by the Standard Oil people with
a view to gate-crashing into the Aden market. He further
hinted that it was just possible that the Perim Coal
Company themselves might, after all, reconsider the
question of terminating their lease (especially, perhaps,
if they got no financial advantage from terminating it).
The Asiatic would, of course, need considerably more
buildings than they had at present if they stayed on the
Island and it was just conceivable that it might be
simplest to extend the sub-lease and to go on paying
rent under the substantive lease, especially as there
was always the hope that times might get better and it
About this item
- 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.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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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' [299r] (597/911), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/1497, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100046487523.0x0000c7> [accessed 9 August 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/1497
- Title
- Coll 1/59 'Aden. Lease of the Perim Coal Company at Perim: future of Perim and provision of a wireless set'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:52v, 56r:59v, 63r:77v, 79r:93v, 95r:97v, 100r:105v, 107r:108v, 110r:127v, 130r:147v, 150r:150v, 155r:156v, 159r:180v, 183r:200v, 204r:226v, 232r:255v, 257r:258v, 263r:268v, 270r:290v, 295r:295v, 298r:344v, 346r:346v, 349r:357v, 360r:384v, 389r:393v, 400r:430v, 432r:438v, 444v:445v, 447r:454v, 447r:447v, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence