Page 415 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (I)_Neat

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government would permit his local arent to tranship
nis cargo within the port of Bahrairi^pre-payment of' the
two per cent duty, brut without payment of trie Import
Yard charges leviable if the cargo were landed ashore.
Since this arrangement did not affect the richt of the
Bahrain government to collect the 2% duty upon all main­
land cargo brought to this port, and was consistent v/ith
other collections of duty upon cargo transhipped here
by native craft, there was naturally no objection to the
proposal; and no doubt the 3.I.3.N.Coy. were satisfied
to secure their freightage on such cargo.
However, while this understand^was being arranged,
the s.s.”Ahme\i,T a ship of the HeaazL line, was char-
terea by certain interested persons, and laden with
15,339 packages for Bahrain, of which 6,938 packages -
were manifested for the mainland port of Oqair via
Bahrain, and these packages were shipped partly by
Hajy Hassan bin Mar’zuk, and partly bv* the'Bombay rela­
tives of this man’s local Nejdy ^gent. The steamer
arrived here on 27th Jamad al Thania 1351 (27th October
1932) under the command of a Captain R. Parcou, who
declared that he had been specially chosen to command
this ship on account of his’long experience in seaman-
shin and’mercantile negotiations; and he intended to
land the Bahrain cargo here, and to proceed to Oqair
with the quantity intended for that port, and also to
buoy the channel in the neighbourhood of Has Tanura for
.the benefit of future steamers going in that direction.
It haonened that there was no ^ent’for this steamer
in Bahrain, and the government aid not sanction the
appointment of certain persons who were invited to
work as Agents by the ship’s owners.
Moreover such an action appeared to be a distinct
infringement by this ship of the Bahrain governmentTs
right to its 2% Transhipment duty; therefore Captain
Parcou was informed that unless tnis duty were paid
here, his Bahrain cargo would not be permitted to be
landed. Some lengthy discussion followed during
which the Commander of s.s.,TAhmedi” endeavoured to
insist on what he urged were his rights to land cargo
here and to proceed on with fetaix^car^o; and he v/anted
it to be inferred that he was especially chosen by
some government authority for this voyage particularly
to mark the channel to Ras Tanura, ana the name of
Captain Philby the Port Officer of Bombay was frequently
mentioned.
However the 3ehrain government maintained its
attitude so the ship proceeded to Ras Tanura where it
landed its mainland’cargp and its Bahrain cargo, and
after returning to Bahrain to land coolis, clerks etc.
proceeded onwards to Busreh where it was said to have
another charter-party awaiting it. The Commander had
previously pointed out what heavy demurrage would be
payable oh account of the ship’s delay in arriving at
Busrah, end hinted that he believed.his owners would
hold the Bahrain crovernment resr onsiblc for the cost
of such delay. 'These owners have, in fact, made
such a clsin; but I understand they are not pressing it
wisely enough.

The effect of this incident is quite satisfactory,
for the authority of the 3c.br a in government in its own