Page 28 - Records of Bahrain (5) (ii)_Neat

350 Records oj Bahrain

Translation of letter dated 6th Rabii ath-Thani
1352 from His Excellency Shaikh Hamad bin 'Isa al-Khalifah,
Ruler of Bahrain to the Hon'ble Colonel Loch,
C.S.I •»
political Resident in the Persian Gulf.
After Compliments,#,*1 (
-T received and noted the contents of your letter
Ho.736 dated 10th July equivalent to 17th Rabi' al Auwal, in
which you reminded me of the previous discuooion which I had
with you and Mr.Belgrave three months ago about the finances
of Bahrain.
2. No doubt there had been a dofioit of Rs.70,000/-
between the revenue and the expenditure of the Bahrein

Government,but as you are aware that when the out in the pay
of the Ruling Family was made many of them complained to mo
of the difficulties they were put to, but I convinced them
and promised that when the state of the revenue improves
and a better time comes, the Bahrain Government will coneidei
what might relieve their hardship. I should like to remind
you that as was mentioned in our conversation previous
discuoeion and in accordance with the letter reoeived from
the Hon'ble the Political Resident that my income will hot
be affected by any reduction, but it appeared to me tftdt the

allowance which is given in the month of Ramadhan to the
Ruling Family was debited to my private account by the
Bahrain Government. Besides this I pay from my private
account to many of the Al Khalifah widows and to those whose
very small allowance from the Government ie not enough to
meet with their needs, and also to those who do not get any
allowance, I have also to bear the expenditure of the visit*
ing chiefs and others who become my guests, which,however, •
requires a large sum of money.

O' Colonel, as regards the talk I had with you about the
hope of getting good rvenue from oil which might improve
And a general benefit might be derived of it, and as mention
-ed by you, it is not wise to count on any income until the
reeult become known. In our conversation I suggested to you