Page 44 - 2 Persian Trade rep Bahrain 2_Neat

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Scurry is often noticed during and after the s**a<on. cheaply, from tacir own Nakhudas and then sdl
but Nakhudns appear to know the preventive value at g**o«i profits. Only a very few of them Marled
of lime juice and no boat leaves for the bauka witLout life as Nakhudas ; most began oh Land mcrehauts
a quautity of dried fresh limes. in a small wav. or as brokers, gradually acquiring
fur.ils with which to finance first one Imut, and then
Quite a number of cases of fish bites occur, especi­ another and in some cases a« mnuy as twenty or
ally by a large fish, not a shark, which inflicts a thirty boats. As these merchants do more of the
straight cut like that of a sword. big: buying and selling and speculate more on th«
During the season the Government's hospital fluctuations of the market they stand more rj^bol
boat, a large well-equipped boom, which was pur- disaster than the XakhudaiL
chased four years ago, remains out at the hanks £ im>rcIuut tri,.3 t0 s€\\ h\s |K.ar|s locally
ami the Indian Sub-Assistant Surgeon deals with duria ,,w 6caion. but iu most yearn one or two
cases of illness among the divers. Most of the uu.n stjcj. out loo |ong f0r higher prices and
Bahrein Nakhudas seem to be particularly callous to follow the foreign buyers down to Bombay
• bout the health of their divers. They do not h -, to 8,.|| »India. '
understand that temporarily to release a sick diver * . .
will be more profitable in the long run. There are <«•) hhamwas system.-This » a more profitable
quire a number of blind men among the diver*. the ?"'CT* an'1 « 5-vstIe,n
Blindness does not incapacitate them from diving. u-^ on ,l,c nuunland. No land ri.rrcl.ant enter.
into the transaction. The Nakhuda nuances the
Dinng system*.—Divers do not receive wages, boat. No advances are made and proceeds are
They are supposed to share in the profits of the shared after ea<h trip to the banks. The Nakhuda.
boat's catch. They also receive advances, loans, brides his ordinary share as a Xakhuda, g-ta half
from their Nakhudas. Various systems are practised of .(h 0f the total profits. The diver*, besides their
in Bahrein of which the most important are the ordinary share*, get half of Jth divided among them,
following. |iij) Azzal.—A diver gout independently in
(i) Sxlajiyah, or loan system, is the mo-»t universal, some Nakhuds's boat. He pays for bis keep and
lu this there are two methods, Mndayanah aud also paying i th of his profits to the Nakhuda.
’Arail. Sli-nes.—XL* s-hares of the men r-nzagod iu diving
Mndaycmah.—The Nakhuda of the boat is financed areas follows:—
by the land merchant who lends money, at interest, . i«h of tc-.J profit* *fu«T
for paying advances to the divers, equipping the 0) X-kkmia (leductflc I’oal lkt«M Mid
h<>at and purchasing provisions for the season. all exp* uv».
Th** rate of interest has now been laid down : 2*» j.-er Cii) Diver . . Tli rtf rw.
cent for the period of the otf season and 10 per cent
during the Gbaus. The same rate of interest which Ssit) Pullrr . . T»o slias**.
it charged hv the merchant to the Xaklmda is charged (»v) Radbi! (ajijirrr.li*,f) OuetLitr.
by the Nakbuda to the divers and added to their (v) J«'.vli (xecond-ia-
d-bit account when they receive their advances. c-oranand) . . Three aRam.
i The Nakhuda is not bound to sell his pearls to the
merchant who financed him. The divers' shares are paid out of the total profit
’A mil.—TLe Nakhuda borrows from a land alter deducting Nakhuda's share, license, cost of
merchant but instead of charging interest the rations, advances made to divers.
merchant has a right to purchase the pearls at a Advances.—Three advances are unde by th.
figure which may be 20 per cent less than the market Nakhudas to the divers during the rear:
value.
i. Salaf.—At the beginning of the season. This
Throughout the whole system it is the land mer­
chants, the capitalists, who make the biggest profits. ii intended to provide for the divers’ families while
men are diving and also to supply any neccsaarieo
In reality they, are partly money-lenders, but as which the divers may take out wirch them.
money-lending is forbidden by the Quran some of
them advance bags of rice instead of rupees, and ii. Kharjlyik.—A small amount paid about th®
debit the borrower with a sum considerably in middle of the season.
excess of tbe market price. They ar«* practically
iii. Tiktjam.—An advance ina-Be about six weeks
certain of a very good interest ou the money which after the eui of the season intended to maintain
th-y lend and they also compete iu the buying
and selling of pearls in the market. The biggest the diver daring the off season.
ni<ti in the pearl industry in Bahrein are the mer­ I'udcr tbe present r/tjonc tLe amount of Vhsse
chants who finance the boat*. They bay pearls, advances is laid down hr proclamation.