Coll 30/9 'Persian Gulf: Administration Reports 1926-1938' [‎318v] (641/1028)

48
amount of road widening has taken place, and at the suggestion of the Polit' 1
Agent, a parallel road to the Manama Sea Road is being constructed which ^1
open up the whole area, now served by wTetched lanes. The doctrine that th
roads should precede building development created some astonishment Knf 6
now well established. ' ' ' U Dut
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. was asked to arbitrate in the question of the hua e area of
land claimed by the Qusaibis behind the Mission Hospital. A most unhealthy
swamp had grown up here, and now that the boundaries have been fixed ftl
award gave the Qusaibis a fifth of what they claimed) the Municipality are drying
the land by pumping. ^ ®
Gramophones, hitherto immoral and banned, are now allowed in coffee shoos
though their records are strictly censored at the time of import. It is interesting
ito hear that while German (Arabic) records are found to be very immoral His
Master's Voice records are comparatively pure. The Shara’s Courts still refuse to
accept the evidence of gramophone sellers, as such men must obviously be immoral
It is the general view that the age is getting much more immoral, and one
frequently hears that immorality is on the increase since men can no lonapr
! kill offending female relations.
Liquor seems to be finding its way into the towns in spite of all attempts of
the Police to check it, and as elsewhere, prohibition seems to have bred bootle<m-
ing. ' ’
Public Works .—Owing to shortage of funds no works of any importanee were
undertaken, but the new Quarantine buildings were completed.
Education .number of schools in existence on the 1st January and 31st
December is the same as in 1931 none having been abolished or opened during the
}ear, There are two girls schools and six boys schools, Manama Sunni and Shiah
Muharraq Sunni, Hedd Sunni, Rafa’ Sunni, Suqal Rhamis Shiah!
Male
• • t •
Female
Of the total for both sexes and on both dates, 15 are
Males
Females
JNo. of teachers No. of Tea-
on 1st Jan- chers on 31st
uary 1931.
December
1931.
r, 26
27
8
8
gners—
No. of
students on
1st January
1931.
No. of
students on
31st De
cember 1931.
. 500
560
. 157
178
Educ ation is free, and except in a few cases even paper, pencils are provided
ee o c arge. English is now 7 taught only in the two top forms of the schools.
Since the pruning of the Educational Council the schools have been running
compara ive y smoothly, though the Shiah school in Manama has comparatively
tew students m comparison to its capacity.
re %i°us teacher in a Manama Sunni school began to give trouble in July,
but the end of the school year was at hand and his services were dispensed with
during the hohdays. r
The American Mission maintain a boys school and a girls school. The former
had a maximum enrolment of 149 with an average attendance of 54, and the latter
0 , an rp. ’ . school is a very go ahead affair, and does a great deal of
good. I he girls play tennis and go for picnics, both unheard of liberties for Arab
^+ 111 ‘u t 8 ’ an - i irr'pr 0 ^ 1116 ^ is effected in the position of women in Bahrain
a o' a mam y throu £ h the agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. of Mrs. Dame ; s school. The more conservative
ra s 0 n°t approve of girls learning to write as they say they could then send
messages to their lovers. j j j
a w^'~ The ? ear P r0V€d even worse for the Pearling industry than 1930,
and but for a persistent demand from India for the cheaper grades of pearls, the