"ملف A/5 مصائد اللؤلؤ بالخليج العربي" [ظ‎‎٢‎٢] (٦٢/٤٤)

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Such proclamation should issue by the New Year, when advances for
shells will commence, Or as soon after as is convenient.
Each Sheikh may order his own subjects not to sell shells at sea.
To obtain complete organization it would be preferable to take steps at
Lingah as weU as with the respective Chiefs, who I think will all willing
co-operate. 0
Sheikh Isa is not likely to care for the disruption of the shell trade as he
gets tour annas per bag export duty. "With due explanation as to possibility
or damage to pearl banks I feel sure he would readily assist.
, r 9 - T lf T mo fJ serious loss ensuing on the stoppage of this trade will fall on
Messrs. v\ onckhaus & Co., who would not be able to run their business in
Bahrain at a profit without the assistance of shells. %
. Messrs, Gray, Paul & Co. would be the next heavy losers, but their
interests m Bahrain are more varied.
• -^ ss u ould fall on the individual Arab and Persian merchants who
ship shells. One Hanniah firm occasionally also ships.
A certain amount of freight would be lost by the British India Steam
Navigation Company, while the Hamburg America Line would probably
discontinue the occasional calls they make at Bahrain on the homeward vovao-e
It would also mean that intentions of any direct Home Line of Britfsh
Steamers to call at Bahrain would probably fall through though not
necessarily. ^ 0
Taking the profits at 30 per cent., which is doubtful now that competition
lias increased so largely, we only get a loss of £8,000 in the biggest export
year, while if in future years the export falls to half as I anticipate, we only
obtain a loss of £4,000 which in accordance with present proportion of trade
would be distributed approximately as follows
£
Messrs. Wonckhaus & Co.
Messrs. Gray Paul & Co.
Miscellaneous
Total
1,100
1,100
1,800
4,000
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Moreover as year by year the competition increases, the profits from this
source decrease.
Other losses will be to the Nakhodas, who get now about Rs. 2 per cwt
It is thus seen that the losses are very trifling in comparison with the
■ staxe at issue.
10. The possibility of decrease in the output of the natural pearl banks
would seem to point to the advisability of considering whether under anv
conditions it would be possible or political to form a Company for fertilizing and
maintaining artificial beds within the territorial waters of Bahrain. &
Although waters so near land would not contain such promising localities
as other positions yet they appear to be less open to general objectioner:—
„ , ^ kereas there is no reasonable chance of asserting with success the ri^ht
or the i nbes to debar other nations from dredging deep waters (vidp I p Hpt
No. 8 dated 31st March 1905, from the India Office to His Excelled
Right Hon ble the Governor-General of India in Council), there would
assumabJy be the same difficulties in preventing artificial fertilization of likelv
spots over which the Tribes cannot maintain their right to exclusive possession
The object in view, viz., prevention, might or might not be attainable bv
indirect methods. *
The poiicy of Government is, I believe, to maintain the rights of the
Arabs. 1 hese rights could be upheld in the present proposal either bv the
employment of Arab capital, or the work might be carried out bv means of a
loan direct to Sheikh Isa. Should such fertilization within territorial waters
prove a financial success, the operations could be extended.to deeper waters
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