Page 326 - Bahrain Gov annual reports(V)_Neat

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(b) Other deserving eases included the arrangement for assisting T.B. eases and the recom­
mendation of artificial limbs for poor persons who arc maimed, etc.

3. Village Welfare.
This is a very important subject and so far the Department has only been able to touch
the fringes of it. Periodic visits were paid by the Public Relations Officer to the villages, and
numerous letters were received concerning them. The following were the main activities :—

Water Supplies.
The Department conducted a survey of the water position in the villages and as a result
it made a list of priorities taking into consideration the present source of water, its quality,
quantity, etc. At each meeting of the Water and Agricultural Committee the Department
submitted a number of applications for village water supplies and it is hoped that in the not
too distant future all the villages of Bahrain will possess supplies of clean artesian water.

It seems obvious that a Department should be established to deal with Village Welfare.
The organisation of village councils, village cleansing, water supplies, cottage industries, etc.,
are a full-time occupation for one Department.

The Department was also visited daily by people with various problems or requests, and,
whenever possible, they were given assistance or advice.

Public Relations.
(a) The Radio.
The Bahrain Broadcasting Station “Huna Bahrain,” came into operation on 5th May, 1955,
and was officially opened by His Highness the Ruler, who delivered a speech which was broad­
cast during the ceremony. The Station consists of a single 2 kilowatt transmitter and two
studios while in the control room there are two studio tape recorders, a portable recorder and
two disc players. Most of the equipment was presented to the Government by the Bahrain
Petroleum Company.

Mr. Ibrahim Kanoo, who worked for twelve years in the Education Department, was
appointed Director of Broadcasting, assisted by Mr. Abd Al Rahman Abdulla, a graduate of the
Secondary School, who controlled ihc record request programmes, the record and recording
library, and the office administration. In addition, Mr. Ali Takki, a teacher in the Education
Department, worked in a part time capacity. During 1955 the upkeep of the equipment was
the responsibility of Cable and Wireless, but it is hoped that in 1956 an Arab engineer will be
recruited for the station. The first year of operation was of necessity one of trial and experi­
ment, of trying various people to see who would be suitable for broadcasting, etc., but by the
end of the year, the Station was putting out a regular service from 8—9.30 nightly and 8.30—10
on Friday mornings. The programmes which were broadcast included plays, educational
talks, including those about famous people, Arabic and European literature, etc., Quranic
stories, Arab stories, poetry, press reviews, group programmes, womens’ and children’s hours,
“the book of the week,” “know your country,” microphone interviews, short stories and listeners
requests. We have also a growing library of recorded music, including a considerable quantity
of Bahraini music recorded in the Station.

An attempt is being made to give as balanced a programme as possible so that the in-
telligensia will not complain of the excess of music, while the “man in the colTcc shop” will not
be bored by the talks. In order to assess the public’s views, the members of the Department
are always eager to listen to suggestions and to receive letters concerning the programmes,
and from time to time surveys arc conducted to obtain the views of the public. As a result of
these investigations changes arc made in the programme content and in the artistes.

We will be helped in 1956 by the fact of having obtained permission to pay the artistes who
broadcast. During 1955 this was done voluntarily and while we had an excellent response, it
was naturally more difficult to pick and choose our artistes.