Page 111 - Records of Bahrain (4) (i)_Neat

Introduction of reforms, 1923 99

CONFIDENTIAL.

No. 710-S., dated Buahiro, tho 22nd (received 31st) December 1923.
From—TIio Ilon'blo Lioutonnnt-Coloncl A. P. Tiutvou, C.S.I:, C.I.E., Political Rcsi-
dout iu the Pcruian Gulf.
Bahrain Reforms.
With reference to the correspondence ending with my express letter
No. 712-S., dated 21st December 1023 on tho subject of the Bahrain reforms
1 havo tho honour to forward herewith for the information of the Govern­
ment of India, a copy of a letter from tho Political Agent, Bahrain,
(No. 208/C./9/2, dated 17th December 1923), to my address forwarding a
copy of a rougli budget for one month which had been propared by Major
Daly in consultation with Mr. Bower shortly before the receipt of Foreign
and Political Department telegram No. 1G88-S. (Serial No. 2*10), dated 8th
December 1923.
2. I think the Government of India will agree that the Bahrain State
appears to be pleasingly solvent—a distinction among Arab Principalities 1
in this part of the world. If so however, it is entirely due to the efforts
of Major Daly and Mr. Bower, as prior to June 1923 the Shaikh was living
from hand to mouth, writing drafts on the Customs, getting into
debt with them, etc., quite in the approved style for such principalities.
3. In a recent report Mr. Bower was able to tell me that during the
three months Safar, llabi I and llabi II the Customs receipts averaged
Rs. 1,150 per diem more than those of the same period in the preceding year
and this iu spite of the fact that the considerable fall in prices greatly
reduced the cash value of the 5 per cent, ad valorem duties. I beg to bring
to the notice of the Government of India the excellent work done by Mr.
Bower in reorganizing the Customs of Bahrain and helping the Political
Agent to evolve order in the general finances of the principality from the
absolute chaos into which they had fallen during the faindant rule of Shaikh
Isa. It is a groat pity that neither Bin Sand nor Shaikh Ahmed of Kuwait
wish' to get the Ncjd-Kuwait Customs dispute settled and that
the Shaikh of Kuwait docs not even want his Customs put on a sound basis.
4. I have dealt with all the principal points raised in Foreign and
Political Department telegram, No. 1G88-S. (Serial No. 246), dated 8th
December 1923 and iu the Political Agent’s letter enclosed herewith, iu
my express letter No. 712-S., dated 21st December 1923—a copy of which
is attached for ready reference—and I do not consider it necessary to go
into them again.
My recommendations arc—
(i) ABritish Customs Director and Financial Adviser. In antici-
" pation of sanction and in pursuance of the remark made in
the last sentence of the portion of my letter No. 622-S. (Serial
No. 225) dated 10th November dealing with the reorganization
of the Customs (see last line page 7 and first line page 8), I
got into communication with Mr. Dc Grenier, a trained
.accountant who has worked in Baghdad and Bush ire, and who
is known to me, and have offered him the appointment of
Director for three years. lie has accepted and is now, I
believe, on the way out; although no contract has yet becu
signed, it would be a decided breach of faith not to engage
him now. However with the example of Muscat before my
eyes (not to mention the previous state of Bahrain Customs
which was certainly better run by the Hindus than it would
have been by local Arabs) I consider it essential to havo an
Englishman in charge at any rate for some years until every­
thing has been stereotyped, and a check can be kept on receipts
and oxpendituro by an outsider simply from the average of
previous years. In addition, as pointed out by the Political
Agent, Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad prefers to have an English
Director. I trust therefore Government will approve of my
I. XI—600