Page 315 - Records of Bahrain (5) (ii)_Neat

Legal and judicial affairs 635

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rulee, but only a few of the government proclamations

relate to mutters which can be included in such a code.
The bulk of the proclamations ore about trivial and tem­
porary matters. The membera of the ocmmittee, after
a few sittings, showed a lamentable lack of interest
in their task, tho leading Arab, Khan Bahadur Abdur-
rebinnn Zayani, very soon retired on grounds of ill health
and tho other members constantly failed to put in an
appearanoe. It was deoided before the committee was

appointed that I should not take any part in composing
who
tho code, When the oourt clerk,acted as secretary to
the committee, went on long leave and Shaikh Abdullah
bin Hamad went to England and the most intelligent
member died, the committee ceased to function, During

their sittings however, they codified almost all the
relevant proclamations and in addition they drafted
numbers of rules on various subjects, They did not
commence work on a Penal Code nor did they propose any
punishments for infringements of government regulations.
The subjeots which they dealt with include diving laws,
pearl sale, fish trap rules, bankruptcy, land regulni

tions, division of immoveable property and pre-emption,
all rules and regulations which are now in foroe in
Bahruin Courts, Yftiat is now more essential than oodi-
fying proclamations or adopting a criminal code is the
preparation of rules for oourt procedure and the oonduot
of cases and instruction to the magistrates. A local

ooininittee is incapable oi doing this v/ork.
10. If the young Khalifah Shaikhs are given ins­
truction in the duties of magistrates, if the procla­
mation? which havo been codified are edited and published
und some existing criminal code is modified and made suit­
able for loottl needs, there will remain no cause for
genuine complaints. These things cunnot be done without