Page 270 - Records of Bahrain (4) (ii)_Neat

572 Records oj Bahrain
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bringing It under control, undor the mistaken aouumptlon
that nhulkh Isa «qb really an poor an ho pretended when
tho pretonoe suited him. Xn any case the queotlon of the
Cuatomn Department aazne for a tine to bo looked upon as a
trial of strength between Shaikh lua and the Government of
India.
The old oyotem wao to farm out tho auntoms to
a Hindu oontruotor and, uo w&u only to be oxpeotod, the
revenue uoorulng to the State wao much lean than it should

have boon. Thin losa wuo estimated at one lakh of
rupeeB u year, but Judging from the yield of tlie Cuotoma
since it hae been put under oonnoiontloua Kuropean control,
it must have been considerably more.
Cuotomo is the main oource of revenue to the
Stute and brought in during the pant year He. 11,24,679
out of a total of Hu. 12,10,694.
The Director of Cuutome iu not only in charge of
tlie department from which lie takeo hie name, but he lo also
Port Officer and controls t)ie Paosporta, Heglotratlon of
Boats, and various minor rovenuo departments.
Owing to Uie laok of nativeo with oufflclent

education and honeoty to take ahurgo of tho varlouu dopart-
monts, a foreigner must bo appointed to control thou. At
presont tho hood io a Kuropoun. Xu anything to bo gained
by substituting on Egyptian, Hyrlan or Iranian 7
To tho untrained eye of an Kngl in liman, an
Egyptian might look more indigenous than an Englishman,
but to a resident of the Oulf he would otlll be a foreigner*
The Cuotoms in not a political department and in';;’
Persia it can be staffed by foreigners without^upsetting

the polltloal balance) but in a small nation like Bohruin ..
the personality of the man who oollocts 90^ of the revenue*
| must count for something* As in the oaoe of the Adviser,
why Jettison & European, who can be truoted, in order to
replaoo
• •’ . y '1