Page 327 - Records of Bahrain (3) (ii)_Neat

Reforms and unrest, 1923 743

the event of disagreement regarding u caoe between Bahrain itofrjno

Saoh a oaae oould howevor only arioe if tho P.A wore oonvlnoed tl
member's
tho 3haiko proponed dediaion wao gwtfsuly unJUBt.A in each caaea
of grooo oppreualon tho P.A, alroady oan interefere,if necessary,
fe in the pant it hao been sometimes nooeaoary to place victims
undor Britloh protootion, oo thore v/ould be no innovation*

Taxation.
If approved the taxes derived under'diving' no proposed above
would go a long way to levelling up the diuparity between

shobubs & uunnis.sinoe the Hakhudaa are nearly all aonnia*
A uniform date A land tax Bhould be adopted instead of the
present haphazard oyotem whoreby every shaikling geta what he oan*
To arrive at u proper assessment would not bo diffioalt A oould
bo worked out by tho looal Qovernemnt,hnler advioe, but the
first eusentiol would be a survey A tho oatabliohment of a
property rogiutor.I would suggest something on the linoa of
tho Tapu system,whioh works admirubly in Braq.XJDe A provides
pormanent rocordB of titles tc property.The registration
producoa revenue whioh would pay the cost.It might be possible f
for tho Ruler to borrow a trained man for say a year at a time
from tho Iraq Oovt,on adequate pay. UAfter the preliminary
registration,there would not bo muoh work. This reform would
do moretthan anything else to atop oppression of Shiahs A
would do away with endleoa litigation.lt would probably be

neoeaoary to stipulate that possession for say five years or
over would constitute a valid title to property.othierwise we
ahould raiso a veritAble hornet’s nest.Hearty all the property
of the ahaikftS has been looted from Bahrainis in the )littime
of Bhaik Kasa.lt would be impossible A undesirable to try to
right these old oases now but sufficient if we oould put a
stop to further eaqploitation of the shalh spb^eots* A vast
'
number of oomplioatd disputes whioh are always going on A
oause muoh of the unroot among the Bahrainis would automatical!
\
oomo to an end.