Page 285 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (I)_Neat

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Land Dept. -2-

Kurzakhan and its gardens also Malchieh and part of
Sadad have been surveyed but during the summer no

survey work was done as most of the surveyors were
on leave.
Fish Trans. There are along the coasts of the
islands about a thousand or fifteen hundred fish

traps some of which are rented for a few rupees per
annum, others for over a thousand rupees per annum.

During Shaikh Isafs rejime members of the Khalifah
family levied indiscriminate taxes on these traps
which were adjacent to territory over which they
held feudal rights. Independent taxation was

abolished when Shaikh Hamad became Ruler and the
Civil List was instituted, It has been found that
since then a number of people, particularly the

Bin Ali Arabs of Hedd built fish traps in the sea
with no right. To preserve the rights of the Govern­
ment along the foreshore and the sea a proclamation

was issued ordering all owners of fish traps to register
them in the Land Department and to pay a registration
fee of Bs l/- per annum. The registration is no proof

of ownership but will enable the Government in the
future to examine the whole question. So far about
750 applications for registration have been received.
In many cases the owners hold no documents for

the fish traps, they will be required to prove their
ownership by right of long tenure; others are in

possession of documents for one or two traps but have
erected more than the number specified on their docu­
ments, in such cases the ov/nership of the additional
traps is not admitted by Government.