Page 19 - Records of Bahrain (5) (ii)_Neat

Revenue-expenditure budgets 341

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I have referred to this matter very frequently during
the year when forwarding monthly accounts and it may
appear that I am stressing the matter unreasonably, but
as it is one of my duties to compose the budget and to
be responsible for the finances of this State I should

be failing in my duty if I did not take this opportunity
of stating that it is my considered opinion that the
finances of Bahrain v/ill never be on a satisfactory
footing unless the Civil List is made to correspond, to
a certain extent, to the actual revenue, increasing and
decreasing according to the income of the State, The
proportion was laid down when the State was coraparatively
wealthy, unfortunately since then the revenue ha3
diminished by half, but a reference to the comparison
of revenue and civil list, which I enclose shows that
the fluctuations of the revenue have not proportionally ;
affected the Civil List.
I also wish to point out that is impossible for me
■\
myself to persuade the Ruler and his relations to accept
a further reduction. In a letter I wrote to the
Political Agent some years ago, I explained that wing
to my position and work here it was extremely difficult
for me to coerce H. E. Shaikh Hamad into agreeing to a
course which ho strongly disliked, To endeavour to do
so would jeopardise my relations with him.
If this State finds itself in serious financial
difficulties it will depend upon the Government of India
for monetary assistance, Excluding the possibility
of increased revenue from oil it appears to me inevitable
that within a year or two the State will be approaching
a condition of bankruptcy. If the Government of India