Page 119 - Records of Bahrain (4) (i)_Neat

Introduction of reforms, 1923 107

th« cost of roforno preposed^the estimates fern* whioh are induced
in the Budget with an ample margin in every case.as will be seen
from the roraarks against oaoh itor*.
The position is that the stole has ut tho moment ever three lakhs of
Rupees in hand.Of this it is proposed to earmark one lakh for
Improvements to bring the customs up to date,by building sheds to
proteot merchandise en tho wharf,complete the oustems Jetty ,lAy
a narrow gunge track for moving morohandise,& to build a small house
on a site alroady available ,for the Customs Dirootor. The actual
oo3t of all these is ostiwatod by Mr Dower & myself to be about
Ra 89,000 but the "hulk ngreon that we should allow I lakh ta be
on the safe side. We then have two lakhs in hand to moot any initiit
expenditure for levies, suoh ns provision of huts e to & initial
equipment & possibly for tho provision or part provision of a
water supply .which v/ould be an immense boon to the people of
Manamah. In addition soino of tho reforms proposod will not be
carried out * bocorao » cost to the 3tate for some months meanwhile
#
tho Resorve will bo still further mounting upj?
Apart from this the Budget shows that when & if(all tho propeeed
reforms are in full owing we cun count on a monthly exoess of
receipts over expenditure of lit least Ra 2#,000 per mensem .
I 3ny ‘at least' because reoeipts have been purposely estimated on
most conservative basis,while expenditure has been given a oonsidei
-rble margin under each hood. The Budget has boon prepared for
eno month insted of one year,which it is hoped will be equally
useful,but rooelpts are the average monthly reoeipts based on a
oareful study of tho figures of tho past threa years.The somewhat
astonishing improvement is of course due to an immense amount of
shear waste,largely within tho oustoras itself,whioh it has boon
possible to ourtail.Ne allowance has been made for the inoreaBe
of rooolpts which would result if the inoreaoe of oustems proposed
be sanctioned, but this Inarease would amount (estimated by Mr
Bower) to about Ro 16500 a month. The estimate of Rs 4000
under raisoeO/aneouB headings,on the reoeipts side,is a very
conservative one.Court fees alone ,in the Bahrain Court,have
reoontly been amounting to about Rs 1000 a month*

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