Page 60 - PERSIAN 8 1931_1940_Neat

48

amount of road widening has taken place, and at the suggestion of the Political
Agent, a parallel road to the Manama Sea Road is being constructed which will
open up the whole area, now served by wretched lanes. The doctrine that the
roads should precede building development created some astonishment but is
now well established.
The Political Agent was asked to arbitrate in the question of the huge area of
land claimed by the Qusaibis behind the Mission Hospital. A most unhealthy
swamp had grown up here, and now that the boundaries have been fixed (the
award gave the Qusaibis a fifth of what they claimed) the Municipality are drying
the land by pumping.
Gramophones, hitherto immoral and banned, are now allowed in coffee shops
though their records are strictly censored at the time of import, It is interesting
to hear that while German (Arabic) records are found to be very immoral, His
Master’s Voice records are comparatively pure. The Shara’s Courts still refuse to
accept the evidence of gramophone sellers, as such men must obviously be immoral.
It is the general view that the age is getting much more immoral, and one
frequently hears that immorality is on the increase since men can no longer
kill pffending female relations.
Liquor seems to be finding its way into the towns in spite of all attempts of
the Pplice to check it, and as elsewhere, prohibition seems to have bred bootlegg-.
ing,
Public IKor&s.—Owing to shortage of funds no works of any importance were
Undertaken, but the new Quarantine buildings were completed.
Education.—The number of schools in existence on the 1st January and 31st
December is the same as in 1931 none having been abolished or opened during the
year, There are two girls schools and six boys schools, Manama Sunni and Shiah,
Muharraq Sunni, Hedd Sunni, Rafa’ Sunni, Suqal Khamis Shiah.
No. of teachers No. of Tea-
on 1st Jan- chers on 31sb
uary 1931. December
1931.
Male \ • • • •. • *. • * t 20 27
Female *. • *. • 8 8
Of the total for both sexes and on both dates, 15 are foreigners—
No. of No. of
students on students on
1st January 31st De­
1931. cember 1931,
Males •. • •. 1 \ < 500 560
Females t • 157 178
Education is free, and except in a few cases even paper, pencils are provided
free of charge. English is now taught only in the t\vo top forms of the schools.
Since the pruning of the Educational Council the schools have been running
comparatively smoothly, though the Shiah school in Manama has comparatively
few students in comparison to its capacity.
A religious teacher in a Manama Sunni school began to give trouble in July*
but the end of the school year was at hand and his services were dispensed with
during the holidays.
The American Mission maintain a boys school and a girls school. The former
had a maximum enrolment of 149 with an average attendance of 54, and the latter
115 and 33. The girls school is a very go ahead affair, and does a great deal of
good. The girls play tennis and go for picnics, both unheard of liberties for Arab
maidens, and if any improvement is effected in the position of women in Bahrain
it will be mainly through the agency of Mrs. Dame’s school. The more conservative
Arabs do not approve of girls learning to write as they say they could then send
messages to their lovers.
Trade.—The year proved even worse for the Pearling industry than 1930,
and but for a persistent demand from India for the cheaper grades of pearls, the