Page 712 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

CHAPTER XL

ADMINISTRATION report for the political agency,
KUWAIT, FOR THE YEAR 1911.

ClivMie and Rainfall.—The climatic conditions during 1911 were fairly
favourable though the exceptional cold
of January and February retarded the
early spring growth in the desert and, though fodder was sufficient, it was
not as plentiful as during the previous season; the averages of the maxi­
mum and minimum thermometers for the first three months of the year being
from 15 to 5 degrees less than in the previous year. In consequence the
summer was both shorter and milder. The total rainfall registered at the.
Agency Observatory amounted to 6 inches and 97 cents, which, though below
the average, was better distributed over the year.
An extract prepared from the Agency daily meteorological reports is
attached,
Local Affairs.—At the initiative of Shaikh Nasir bin Shaikh Mubarak a
proposal was set on foot, in November, to start a “ Madrassah ” in Kuwait.
A subscription list was opened and some Rs. 18,0CD were subscribed on the
spot. At the end of the year it was stated that the subscriptions had
amounted to nearly a lakh of rupees including a donation of Rs. 50,000 from
the house of Bin Brahim of Bombay. The Shaikh has promised to give to
the institution some 13 shops in the bazaar and a date-garden at Basrah.
The object of the school is to provide a modern education, which will fit local
vouths for their battle in life better than the usual course of writing and
Koran-recding given by local Mullahs. It is intended to import teachers
from Cairo or Beyrout and to include foreign languages, particularly English
in the curriculum.
No murders or robberies have to be recorded for the year and the town
continues, under the strong hand of Shaikh Mubarak, to be the most peaceful
and best governed in the Gulf.
Exchange.—The year under report has been an amelioration of local
monetary conditions, for, in August, the Shaikh by a summary order practi­
cally demonetized the Maria Theresa dollar. All prices, sales, purchases have
now to be quoted in Indian rupee currency and, though the measure was
heartily welcomed by all shop-keepers and townspeople, who used to suffer
severely from the constant fluctuation of the dollar, it is being assimilated
00ly gradually by the Bedouin trading with Kuwait. Another measure
s’hich has done much to give stability to exchange and circumvent the opera­
tions in copper of local shroffs, adverted to in last year’s report, was the intro­
duction by the Shaikh of the Indian one-anna nickel coin for use as small
The nickel coin has become very popular and hitherto there are no
signs of its migration to Nejd, though this may come in time. The nickel
win appears to have been regarded with suspicion, until the Shaikh, on the
Political Agent's suggestion, imported Rs. 10,000 worth and ordered their
use.
Postal Matters.—The reform most urgently required now in Kuwait is
the institution of a regular Indian Post Office, similaf to the offices in Bahrain
and MaskaL
The work has hitherto been carried on by the Agency establishment, and
lts unofficial character precludes the booking of parcels, money orders and
Jfgistered articles, all of which would be a source of considerable revenue,
^roin the figures available for the last two years, the work has gro\m enor-
toousiy, especially in parcels and registered articles received for delivery.