Page 383 - PERSIAN 9 1941_1947

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can be obtained when It ie realised that no loon than
E%CO|OOfOOO wore npent by tho Government on the purchase
of such essential foodstuffs as wheat* barley* flour, rice,
sugar| and dates* in addition to this era a further outlay

was Incurred by tho Bahrain Government in tho purchased
cotton
of ono-third of certain standard typos of Indlan^pieqogoods
for sale at a price five per oont abovo cost to the poorer
members of tho general publico Tho greater part of tho
expenditure incurred by tho Bahrain Government was of course

recovered from sales to the publico The cereal ration was
maintained at .twenty pounds a head a month throughout the year
but there wore variations in the constituents iron tiae to

time to accord with the variations in tho supply of the dif­
ferent kinds of grain by the Kiddle East Supply Council* Rice
disappeared almost entirely from tho raeim whereas prior to
1942 the population of the 3© glands were almost exclusively
rice o&ter&o
in
Owin*. to tho failure of the winter rains/the season
1943—44 in south Persia tho quality of the meat obtained
from that country was of tho lowest, and even then the quantity

was much loss than the local demand with the result that there
occurred neat shortages in the late summer and early winter of
this year* Early in tho year difficulties with the local
butchers who consistently refused to sell seat at controlled

prices resulted in the Bahrain Government themselves purchasing
ail imports and soiling direct to the public through salaried
butehors In the esat market* Xn the last quarter of the year
the falling off in the quantity ©f imports necessitated a

system of slaughtering only on four days In the week being
introduced*
possibly not unlike many other countries excellent price
control and anti-hoarding regulations issued both by this

Agcrtcy and by tho Bahrain Covorrnent to. prevent profit soring
were to a large extent nullified by tho apathy of the general
public and a carfeod disinclination on their part to inf ora