Page 22 - Historical Summaries (Persian Gulf - Vol II) 1907-1953

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protested at the recovery of these dues at Bahrain without his consent.!31) In 1952 he
requested representation on the Local Committee and instructions were issued that
if he raised the matter again he should be told that membership of the Committee
was confined to major users of the lighting service but that arrangements would be
made to send him notices and agenda of meetings and that the attendance of his
representative would be welcome at such meetings as might interest him.!32) He
had not reverted to the subject by the end of 1953.
26. Difficulties have also arisen about the representation of the United
States Navy on the Committee. The United States Navy had declined to pay light
dues on their contract-operated tankers, which are manned by civilian personnel.,
and it was decided that they should not be offered representation on the Committee
until these dues were paid. It was, however, agreed that information should be sent
to the United States Navy in the Gulf concerning all major matters affecting aids
to navigation in the Gulf, that they might be invited to send a member to attend
meetings of the Committee as an observer and that the matter would be considered
again if a formal request was received from them for representation on the
Committee.!33)
27. In the days of the British Government of India the Nearchus while
working for the Persian Gulf Lighting Service outside Iraqi waters used to fly a
blue ensign defaced with the Star of India.(M) This arrangement had been approved
by the Iraqi Government. After the transfer of power in India she wore for a time
the Indian and Pakistani flags, but after the service had been taken over by His
Majesty’s Government, the Iraqi Government refused to agree to her wearing a
British flag and she wore the Iraqi flag on all occasions.(”) In 1951 it was agreed
that the service’s flag should be a defaced blue ensign but that this should be flown
only in the lighthouse tender, launches and other sea-going craft and possibly on
the service's offices at Bahrain.!34) The Political Resident did not consider it
desirable that it should be flown on any lighthouse or light-vessel for fear of
incidents of which serious notice might have to be taken.
28. During the last war and for some years after few new works had been
undertaken but since the formation of the company in 1950 new lights have been
installed on Farsi and Halul islands, a new light on Kubbar island is under
construction, a radio beacon has been installed on Little Quoin Island and a
number of improvements have been effected elsewhere.
29. From its earliest days the service maintained lights and buoys on both
shores of the Gulf, and up to 1928 it had been found possible to prevent
the Persians from interfering.!37) In 1929 they proposed a conference with a view to
their taking over control of the service in Persian waters. Nothing came of this
but in 1933 they stated they were considering making arrangements for the
management of the beacons and lighthouses in their territories and waters!38) and
sent a Frenchman to inspect them including that on Tamb. In 1934 they informed
His Majesty’s Legation at Teheran that they wished to assume responsibility for
lighting and buoying on their coast and that they proposed to purchase all existing
installations except the Qais light-vessel. His Majesty’s Government agreed in
principle and a protocol was drafted and handed to Persian Government in 1936.(39)
Meanwhile proposals were considered for a new route for shipping which would
avoid any dependence on lights for which the Persians were responsible. In 1937
the Persians decided not to buy any of the existing installations and asked for their
removal as their own installations became ready. In 1940 their lighthouses at
Bushire and on Qais Island started to function, but with the Allied occupation of
Persia in 1941 the question of the removal of the Persian Gulf Lighting Service
installations was dropped.
30. In 1946 these installations consisted of some buoys at Bushire, a light-
vessel off Qais Island and a lighthouse at Jask.!60) The Persian Government had
{*') H’from P R-10 F O- U-n- of November 21. 1948 (E 14980/175/91 of 1948).
( 7) F.O. to P.R. EA 1401/3 of January 23, 1953.
£2 £?D°kT' r~M 32/2/°L of December 4. 1952 (EA 1402/20 of 1952).
£ ) 9Rj0-to Ext- 739/48 of March 23, 1948 (E 3861/175/91 of 1948).
£) Bagdad to F.O. 1213/10/50 of June 2. 1950 (T 8/4 of 1950)
P.R. to F.O. 2071/8 of April 7. 1951 (T 10/4 of 1951).
(") Paras. 20-27 at p. 141-143, P.G. 13.
Q 1° £ 0. Despatch 407 of August 22. 1933 (E 5348/3062/34 of 1933).
L 7oC,o Fn 2t1936 (E4382/159/34 of 1936).
^ 46639 F ° ^ 8327 46 °f Novcmbcr 30* I946 (E 12260/656/91 of 1946).
c 2