مجموعة ٢/٥٤ "لجنة الشرق الأوسط (الرسمية): مجموعة العمل" [و‎‎٢‎٢‎٩] (٦٤٢/٤٥٧)

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Pat— of 71mit 2 2goX«4SV to
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^onaralo
1. Behrain oOT^riae* & gwup l:;ir lying iaXajadM
eituatad halfsrey doms the Persian Gulf 20 alias off the
eaatcm coast of Arabia* The largast ? THtilch. Is known as
Bahrain Island, is about 30 sjiles XC- ndlos wide at
its broadest# l‘he northern end and a ®l;rlp along the western
coast ere well watered and fertile and “sdie rest of the island
is desert# The two most important towns are Manasaah, the
main business centre, and Ht&arraq? The latter is situated
on on island wfcioh is connected with the mdn island by &
oatsoewey two utilee long# The population of the islands ia
estioated at 105*000*
2# Kis Highness the Sheikh rules parsonolly and is assisted
by a British Adviser (C# PalTyspl® Balgrare CcB.Ko) whe perforas
the functions cf Chief Kioieter# The Utate has a nusaber of
other British ea^Ieycen and there was evidence that it iti bei-ng
gradually developed on m&om line ?. The Dtpartoectei include
Public Health, Education, Ifituiicipalities*, Land, Passportj.
Judicial, Police Traffic and Public isocsirity* Pablic Welts,
Pood Control, Cuatoaa, Electricity* A shor$ vioit does not
.justify detailed ocasaents whether tho rate of dcralopmant coaid
have been a»re rapid, but the ii^rssnion I fenced was that, i»
oosuparison with scores of other tcr^jm X hare svrm in the Kiddle
East, Msnai&ah give« the appearance of basing sensibly governed,
orderly, dean on native standards snd progroesive# The
Government 1 s Reports for the years I9h& *»d l%7 record a vast
oaount of good mragement and planwing 9 cron when allowance is
node for a certain n^asure of eKbc-tllshrsont, bat tho expansion
of industrial and oassierelal interests msy inwlv© considoration
of new projects, particularly those oonneoted with social
welfare, public asenities, housing, and othero which Sir Rupert
Hoy is stuch more competent to eugg^s*;*,
3* I was introduced to His Kighnasii tho Sheiid\ by Sir
Rupert and he displayed a keen interest in the conditions of
enrployjaoift of the Oil Company 5 ® woskirs. He raised serf-oral
natters and Sir Rupert and I promised tc enqiiiiw into theow
Be hreira Pe tro loua Ccagar^r#
mrnmmmrmmtmmmmm mutimw —f w——ww—Sk-v
Is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Staadard Oil Company
of California and the Texes Compaq/, in filial shares, registered
as a British company under the lavr. of Oaaa&a* Oil was first
discovered ia June 1932 and the first crude o^X was shipped in
December 1931k» In 1936 a refinery was built and shipiting
foe ill ties suboaxine pipe lin*«fei were eexparidedo The crude
oil production in 1934 vao 235,000 barrels (approx* Tjr bomti» a
1 ton):* in 1947 it was 9 , 410,000 harmtso The cotoi. for 1943 was
higher but X was not given the fig tc« Expansion of drilling continues*
/The refinery «•••••**