Page 267 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (I)_Neat

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Pearl industry. -4-

or garden, during the off season, as wa3 previously
the custom. Partly owing to this and partly owing

to the bad times a practice has crept in by which
Tajars only advance money to their neukhudas if the

naukhuda gives mortgages for the amount on his house
i
or garden property in Bahrain. The naukhudars divers
and boats used to be sufficient security for the

tajar who financed him. Now they are not.
Khammamis and Selafieh. Every year the number of
boats diving on Khammss system is increasing. This
is owing to difficulty that naukhudas have in obtain­

ing capital for making advances. The increase of ■
the Khammamis is advantageous to the divers themselves
who, as they receive no advance from a tajar, are not

bound to sell their pearls to any particular person,
ing
and hav^more freedom they can get a fairer sale for
;
what they find.

Diversyftdebts. With the exception of about a dozen li
boats all the divers last season on the Selafieh
system increased their debts and receivedno profits

out of the season. The Khammamis, who do not take
regular advances, made very small profits, At the

same time it appears that most of the pearls of the
1350 season were sold and the large stocks which are
still held by so many of the Bahrain merchants are
those obtained two or three years ago which they are

unwilling to part with at much less than' they originally
paid for them.

Foreign buyers. Yery few foreign buyers came to
Bahrain during 1350, those who cane included iJr. Pack,
a representative of Dr. Bienenfield and one Indian

buyer who purchased comparatively a large amount.