Page 150 - PERSIAN 9 1931_1940

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(h) Poverty and Economy Measures.—World depression, the continued Jacl-
of relief from Bin Saud’s blockade, and the last three years failure of the pearl
trade have at last had their effect on Kuwait. During the year 1932 there was a
marked increase in the number of pearl bankruptcies. Suffering and acute want
among the lower classes of the town was a new and pathetic feature, and showed
itself in the form of gangs of beggars, who began to roam the Town.
The situation was aggravated by the sudden arrival in August of some
2,000 starving Persian refugees, driven across to the Arab Coast from their own
country by hunger and the callousness of their own officials. These persons filled
the streets and by-ways, imploring all and sundry to assist them.
This influx was again followed by an invasion of poor Persian fishermen who
began to interfere with the fishing rights and nets of the local Kuwait fraternity.
Mullers came to such a pass that the Ruler, on the urgent representations of his
people who complained that they had enough poor of their own to support, w'as
constrained to order all Persians without visible means of support to bo* re­
patriated to their own country. This wrns done at the end of August and the
refugees wore conveyed in dhow?s free of charge to Gusbah on the left bank of the
Shatt al Arab.
The Persian fishermen were also ordered to leave the bay of Kuwait and for­
bidden to enter the 3-mile limit along the Kuwait sea-board.
On the 15th August the Ruler decided on a general reduction of officials*
salaries by approximately 20 per cent., thus following the example of Bahrain.
The reduction affected the salaries of all the many Shaikhs of the house of
Al Subah, including that of many ladies of high birth, and went right down the
scale of officials so as to include guards, mercenaries and private servants.
The Ruler told the writer that he had been compelled to adopt these economy
measures much against his will because of the grave condition of the finances of
the Slate which had laterly been nearing danger point.
(i) Locusts.—The first flight of these pests passed over Kmvait on 24th Feb­
ruary. It moved in a north-westerly direction and took 2£ hours to pass over the
Town.
An official of His Ma.icsty King Bin Saud, who arrived in Kuweit on 27tli
February 1932, reported that he had seen large flights of locusts in Qasim and
Soutli Hassa at the end of January and early in February.
His Majesty King Bin Saud personally told the writer that Hoffuf had had
a bad visitation in January. It was anticipated that March wfould see the insect
plague on the borders of Kuwait and Iraq. Fortunately for the State this did
not happen and the dread invasions of the three previous years were not re­
peated.
Mr. Urarov, Locust Expert to the British Museum visited Kuwait on 23rd
May and collected data regarding locust visitations and their lines of approach
from south-w'cst Arabia up through Nejd. Curiously enough he prophesied that
Kuwait would sec no locusts in 1932 as all evidence went to prove that they
appeared in cycles of 3 years at a time. His prophesy came true.
(;) Topographical Survey of Kuwait .sfo/e.—During the late Autumn of
1932 and after some delays the long expected ground survey of Kuwait com­
menced under the auspices of Captain Papworth, R.E., attached to- Headquarters,
Royal Air Force, Baghdad. Work w'as pushed on vigorously till by the end of
the year the northern third of the State was mapped. It wras anticipated that
work in the Kuwait Neutral Zone wrould commence by the end of January of
1933. _ To this end the permission of the Shaikh of Kmvait was officially obtained,
while it was decided to do the same in the case of His Majesty King Bin Saud.
The complete survey of the neutral zone of the whole of Kuwait State
should be finished by the Summer of 1933.
(k) ffaj.—The Kuwait Haj Pilgrimage of 1932 was a success, and some
3,000 persons proceeded by camel overland to Mecca via Buraida and Qassim
under the care of Shaikh Subnh al Nasir al Subah, the Shaikh ’s cousin. A few
persons notably Seycd Abdul Wahab al Naqib and his women folk, members or
the distinguished family of the Nnqibs of Basra, proceeded by motor car via
Biath. They successfully proved that future pilgrims could easily r.each the
Holy City from Kuwait by car.

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