Page 569 - Records of Bahrain (6)_Neat

Development projects, 1941-1946 557 I

URGENT, CONFIDENTIAL.
!
(Camp) Shiraz,
D.O. Ho. P 8. Dated the 19th- of August, 1045.
I

My dear Colonel,
Will you kindly rofor to the correspondence
ending with your telegram No, T/214 dated the 1st August
on the subject of Bahrain Development, the projects to be
taken up, and staff requirod therefor? f. rt*
2. X enclose a copy of a memorandum of mv con-
versations v/ith Bolgravo and tho Shaikh on these 'subjects.
I should add that X mentioned to tho Sheikh the desirability
of investing the State's large reservo fund in public
utilities whore it would get a larger revenue than the
present 2£ per cent obtained from securities. This sum
(I quote from momory) amounts to about £.800,000. The
Sheikh replied that he wa3 afraid of spending it as he
feurod that tho oil fields might be exhausted and tho golden
stream ooasc to flow. As far as I know this fear is
unjustified since no ono is able to.tell tho oxtont of the
resources of the Bahrain field, Parenthetically I would
add, as illustrative of the workings of tho Sheikh's mind
(or indeed of any Arab's), that he i3 continually urging
the oil company to extract more oil and thus to exhaust the
field as soon as possible.
3. I should explain thut my purpose in putting
forward, or rather in re-opening, those proposals in this
hurried and necessarily somewhat unconsidered way, was
conditioned by the following facts. Bolgravo, partly
because ho refuses to sharo authority and consequently
has more work on hand than ho can do and purtly because of
his difference in temperament and his intense opposition
to any change, has failed to work harmoniously with Leigh.
(For tho same reason, I am afraid, he will bo unable to work
harmoniously with anyone not ahosen by himself). Leigh
has been given no defined authority and ha has no financial
pov/ors. Other specific complaints such as inequitable
treatment of his employees as comparod with other State
employees ho has brought to mejofficially and I have had
to get Bolgrave to remedy matters. As regards the larger
questions, Leigh hus failed to take them up specifically.
I think ho would give as a rouoon for not doing so that
he has been completely absorbed In work of an urgent nature.
This is true since ho has been employed almost exclusively
in trying to koep going tho decrepit power station in
Bahrain and in fitting it with a new generator. I've
mentioned this matter at paragraph 2 of my telegram Ho. 438
dated the 29th July to you. !
/These facts...i

Tho Hon'ble Lt-Col. A.C. Oalloway, 0.B.15.,
political Resident in the Persian Gulf,
(Comp) Shiraz.
.