Page 555 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

good dinner and so comfortable afterwards with the fan on and all the windows open. A late night. Our
silver candlesticks are fitted with electric candles and look very nice.

Friday [16 May]

Breakfast with Major Holmes, then Bridge at the Bank and usual tennis at the Agency. Two of Holmes'
American oil men were there, very plain very American in very large spectacles, didnt like the looks of them,
on their cards they had Bahrain Petroleum Company Ltd, the first time I have seen it in print. Prior had ices
and iced cocktails all from his refrigerator, they are very nice.

Saturday May 17th 1930

Court in the morning. Had a long talk with the Inspector of Education before breakfast, discussed the
proposed reforms in the schools. Shaikh Abdulla is apparently rather uncertain about some of them, he likes
to be popular and so is rather loath to take steps that will not be liked here. Played tennis at the Agency in
the afternoon, the doctor and Parke were there so not enough for Bridge afterwards. The mail came in the
morning with Yousuf Kanoo on board and several other local merchants.

Sunday 18th [May]

None of the divers have accepted the advance and there is an idea that there will be some trouble.
Yesterday all the Jews hurried round to the Agency and said they were afraid, they really are a wretched lot
of cowards as there was absolutely nothing going on there. Busy in my office all the morning at the Budget. I
saw nobody. A message from the Shaikh asking me to meet him at a place on the way to Sakhrir in the
afternoon. We motored out and he arrived after some time. I sat in his car and we had a talk about the
question of the advances. He was really extremly irritating. I told him exactly what I thought of it and that
the whole trouble was caused by his silly action last time, when they made a fuss he at once gave in to them.
Again he has got the wind up and talked a lot of rubbish about the trouble in India that had been caused by
uneducated people and how the divers here if they were not pleased might cause trouble and if there was
any rioting the Government would be blamed. He had evidently been got at by someone. He pretended not
to know that the advance at the end of the season as well as at the beginning was laid down by the
Government. He also said that there had never been such a low advance, this is quite wrong as before they
had less. Finally I agreed that I would see the leading men who we had consulted about the amount and see
what the chances were of the men going diving. I know that if only one or two boats go out the rest will
follow them. Major Holmes came in after we got home and stayed till dinner time having a good gossip. He
is very amusing about his doings with the Colonial Office about oil contracts etc. After dinner I went over to
see Prior about the diving business. If only the Shaikh did not always try to follow the line of least resistance
he would be more of a ruler, he is quite hopelessly weak and gets scared if anyone shows any opposition to
him.