Page 272 - Bahrain Gov annual reports (V a)_Neat

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The sum of Rs. 4,26,892 was paid out to persons attaining their majority, as marriage
expenses for persons under the administration of the department and it includes also the cost
of the department.

Rs. 20,799 was recovered from divers and other persons who owed money to the various
estates which were administered by the department.

General. This department has now been established for 18 years and it has become a
valuable and accepted Bahrain institution. It serves two purposes. Its most important purpose
is to protect the interests of minors and orphans and to administer their property for their
benefit. In the past this was the responsibility of persons who frequently abused their trust
so that by the time the minors reached maturity nothing remained of their patrimony. In this
respect the duty of the department can be likened to that of the Public Trustee. A subsequent
development was the lending of money to the public at reasonable rates of interest, secured
by mortgages on immoveable property in Bahrain, the interest from these loans being paid into
the various estates which are administered by the department on behalf of minors and orphans.
This arrangement has enabled many small traders and small landowners to obtain funds to
finance commercial or agricultural undertakings on reasonable terms. It is possible however,
that the opening of a local bank in Bahrain, a project which is now under consideration, may
have certain repercussions on the financial activities of this department.

LAND DEPARTMENT
(From the Report of Mr. Abdul Aziz As Saleh, Superintendent of the Land Department).
include^fsltf^;,^'^ l,r -yCar 1955’ 1’139 transactions were dealt with, these
248 were of open land 36^^ 10n,°^tldes and 203 gifts. Of the sales, 351 were house property,
were for hous* S}M“ and ,7were *ops, 200 of the titles which were registered
sales and on registrations'l!! C ?nSnaCtI?nS were reSistered in 1955 than in 1954. Fees on
collected in the^previous vear Th * *° RS’ 2’?8,I17^ aImost onc Iakh morc than the amount
which took placePduring the year. ,IKreaSe m fces was a8ain due to several important sales

Gray Mackenzie^ncTfvf r P,0Perty which was owned for over 40 years by the firm of
Yate^ the price was th'; “■’ T S°ld f°r Rs’ 13’40«000 (*00,000) to Mr. Husain bin Ali
built by Grav Macke™#* ^Ulva cnt °f about Rs. 14/- per square foot. A large new office,
opposite the old office facinpTh 3 m0St ^mP,eted at the end of the year. It occupies a site
to this Company by the Government011 Govcrnmeat Road> on reclaimed land which was given
their premises cuttine ofTthe r mCw comPensation when the sea road was built in front of
what is probably on!of he mJSabk K^ahraT ^ ‘° ““ ™S

anothe/plotfin the "same dlsirir? WaSDS<Jld f°r Rs' 2'67'600’ at Rs- 4/‘ Per s(3uare foot and
square foot• another nl^? flstrlc'-on Palace Road, was sold for Rs. 3,23,580, at Rs. 5/- per
foot A few vears am ! hS° ln.9uadablya, was sold for Rs. 1,48,999 at Rs. 5/12 per square
square foot * 8 d W tlUS locality was being sold by the Government at Rs. 1/- per

at Rs. 6/^per square'foof'H''1 kn°Wn as TeleSraph, a plot of land was sold for Rs. 1,41,980/-,

sold for Rs ^OO OM/’ ^ site lbc deeP water pier, an old house and some land was
neighbourhood w^oid at Rs fnF' SqUare foot and a Sarden near lhe shore in. ,he. sa!".e

n SSfiiasg? “"“e “*>» was 96 lakhs (£720,000) an increase of

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