مجموعة ٣٠/ ١٨ (١) "الخليج الفارسي: البحرين، الرسوم الجمركية المفروضة على البضائع العابرة؛ موقف ابن سعود" [و‎‎٥‎٢‎٦] (١١٦٢/١٠٥٦)

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Baln-am may shortly have to submit to an influx’of American aLfo her foreign
dr,Hers and o,l workers, 1 do not thmk it advisable to dispense with th^eiwiees of“
European Commandant of Pohce unless and until we are satisfied that the threatened
invasion
by the chance of employment.
5. ! turn now to the Customs Department. This was an old bone of contention
between bhaikh Isa and the (jovernment of India. It was Colonel Mead who first
suggested bringing it under control, under the mistaken assumption that Shaikh Isa
was really as poor as he pretended when the pretence suited him. In any ease, the
question of the Customs Department came for a time to be looked upon as a trial of
strength between Shaikh Isa and the Government of India.
I he old system was to farm out the Customs to a Hindu contractor and, as was
only to be expected, the revenue accruing to the Slate was much less than it should
have been. I his^ loss was estimated at one lakh of rupees a year, but judging from
the yield of the Customs since it has been put under conscientious European control,
it must have been considerably more.
Customs is the main source of revenue to the State and brought in during the past
year Rs. 11,24,079, out of a total of Rs. 12,15,694.
The Director of Customs is not only in charge of the department from which he
takes his name, but he is also Port Officer and controls the passports, registration of
boats, and various minor revenue departments.
Owing to the lack of natives with sufficient education and honesty to take charge
of the various departments, a foreigner must be appointed to control them. At
present the head is a European. Is anything to be gained by substituting an
Egyptian, Syrian or Iraqian ?
To the untrained eye of an Englishman, an Egyptian might look more indigenous
than an Englishman, but to a resident of the Gulf lie would still be a foreigner.
Hie Customs is not a political department, and in Persia it can be staffed by
foreigners without upsetting the political balance; but in a small nation like Bahrain
the personal it} 7, of the man who collects 90 per cent, of the revenues must count for
something. As in the case of the Adviser, why jettison a European, who can be
trusted, in order to replace him by some foreign Oriental about whose integrity and
whose intrigues one can never he sure ?
0. Captain Prior, the present Political Agent at Bahrain, summed up the situation
very well in one of his reports to me, when he stated that Mr. de Greniei collects the
revenues of the State and Mr. Belgrave conserves them. If the efficient collectoi and
conserve!’ are removed, what is to happen to a State which has become accustomed to
a far higher rate of public expenditure than ever before in its history ? ^ot only
have the claims of the idle and ever increasing Al Khalifa been generously met, but
for the first time Bahrain has been administered for the good of its people, and not
merely for the benefit of its ruling family. With a decline in revenue, discontent is
sure to return. If the European Adviser were removed his place would be taken by
an Arab from Bahrain—almost certainly one of the Al Khalifa. A\ ith the exception
of Shaikh Abdulla there is at the moment not a single member of the Al knalita ht
either bv character or education to fill the post. Bahrain m the present day is not
the pearl trade oi which it is toe ceuue, it ‘y- + ~ , -V M
attracted to itself a number of foreigners, who, are m con ac vjh qc imi nisi ration*
Thanks to the interest taken bv the Government of India m IJ-o, its adminisirat oi,
inanks to tne i ic .ufn.iWion of the Gulf. The more enlightened citizens
once a by-word, is now the admiration or me v P vp . i ’ rp
of Dubai, for instance, envy Bahram, though the ruling Shaikhs have no desire to
P "t ft Ins repeatedly been said that Balnain has been westernised too hurriedly.
It i= 'necessary to examine this statement, for although there is a subs ratum of tiuth
in ilTtfonk'ii conveys a wrong impression that all
ruthlessly swept away. The reforms instituted in or shortly beioie l.Lo related
(a) Municipalities.
( B ) Reorganisation oi the Customs Department.
(c) Institution of a proper police force.