Page 583 - PERSIAN 9 1941_1947_Neat

5.
(h) BOAT-BUILDING.
The continued scarcity of wood, particularly teak,
did not permit of any large-scale boat-building. However,
10 dhows with an aggregate tonnage of 500 were completed
during the year unaer review.

(i) Safgr.-
Due to the infrequency of the steamer service ocean­
going dhows continued to prosper and earned handsome freights.
98 dhows laden with miscellaneous cargo returned from India
and 159 dhows left for India end African ports at the open­
ing of the season, most of them carrying a cargo of dates
from Iraq.
The average Income of a sailor according to ship-owners
was approximately Es 500/- or double last year’s average.
(j) ANTI-LOCUST OPERATIONS.
Early in March hoppers appeared in immense numbers in
the area south of Kuwait; and to a lesser extent to the north.
The Middle-East Anti-Locust Unit provided a detachment
which was based at Kuwait to undertake operations. The
infestations became very heavy in April and hoppers even
invaded the town itself. The invasion was successfully
countered by the use of poison bait and gammexane and the
detachment finally left on the 25th May. Shaikh Abdulla al
Mubarak took a prominent part in the operations, Co-opera-
tion from all Kuwaitis was excellent and exceeded all the
locust officer’s experience elsewhere in Arabia. The Kuwait
Oil Company rendered invaluable assistance. The invasion was
the largest in living r.emory and immense damage might have
been done. As it was damage was confined to the village of
Fantas and very few locusts flew.
V. DESERT INTERESTS.
Exceptionally good winter and spring rain in the
Kuwait desert during the winter and spring of 1946 did much
to ameliorate the condition of the bedouin but also attracted
many more tribesmen than usual from other areas of the
peninsular. Besides the resident ’Awazim and Rashaida
Kuwait was harbouring in the spring and summer large numbers
of Ajman, Muntafiq, Kutair, 3eni Harb, beni Khalid, beni
Hajir, and even Murra. As was not surprising not a few
incidents occurred between rival tribesmen and between
tribesmen and the Shaikh’s bedouin guards. Peaee was,
however, restored with ease by Shaikh Abdulla Mubarak and
his stalwarts owing to the superiority of the motor-car over
the camel.
During the summer an epidemic (described as "like
consumption”) broke out amongst camels and destroyed between
half end three-quarters of the herds. This has caused
great distress to the desert-dwellers.
VI FOREIGN INTERESTS.
(a) SAUDI ARABIA.
Relations with the Saudi Government have remained
cordial during the period under review. There has been
considerable movement of general merchandise from Kuwait to
Riyadh.
(b) IRAQ..
y\0
Relations with Iraq underwent <a change and the irk*