Page 260 - Records of Bahrain (4) (i)_Neat

240 Records of Bahrain
•WHIM IE81DEM01.
The Agency, • ••
*•
CONFIDKHTI/.I,. Bdihrdin. Porn inn >ulf.
BBIMOtlllA. &1C0A0V
31/5/24
From Tho Political Agent.Bahrain. c /

To Tho Hon'bio tho Political ilo aidant, Bushiro .

BendtdndAifcRl Pearling Customa.

Reoently 3haik Haroad ioputod 3h«ik Abdulla bin Kaao to aonvene a
Majlis of tho loading Nakhudno to explain to thou tho now lioonaing
^ulos. Tho Nakhudas agrood to aocopt tho situation,but brought up
various points for consideration.Tho most important of those was the
question of interest. Sinoo tho commencement of tho reforms & the

oessation of the oalifeh Court from inanition ,cases regarding aooounts
hove been sent to the 3hara» . Aooounts have been so badly kept in the
1
past,or not kept at all,that 3haik ‘HamRd a court .or the Joint Coart,
Jox ^
could not possibly deal with them.The accounts ofttn'requted going in
/ A
to before a deoision could be reaohed.In tho Share court
a compromise of some sort is usually arrived at. The Share does not
■
however admit of interest being charged.It has boon the custom in the
past for the owner^)f the boats to take a large advance of grain from

a merohant nt about 2o$ interest,repayable after the end of the next
'd-
season. This grain the Wakhuda sells to oonvort into o®sh with which
A
he pays 'Tisqam1 to the divers for the following season.On eaoh advance
he okfcvgea 2o# interest in the diver's account. Similarly when the
season is about to oommenoe, the Na.ihuda takes another advanoe (& ousto*
has it that he must take it from the same merohant who edvnnoed him for
the Tisqam) also at ZOrfo repayable at the end of the season. Vith this

he pays the divers their 'Salaf*. The Nakhuda buys grain A converts
it into o*Bh(o'* sometimes pays the divers in kind A they have to sell
it at a loss to get cash) because merchants will not advance cash,which
S would be'Haran1 according to the Shnra' but they are able to satisfy

their oonsoienoeB (A pockets) by selling grain at exhorbitunt interest,
whioh they do not consider to be money-lending.
At the end of the sen son the advances are recovered from tho divers

I