Page 443 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (I)_Neat

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441
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• five divers. Accounts ere settled after each

trip to the banks and no debts against divers
arc carried over to the next season, Each
diver is advanced a few rupees before each trip.
The increase in the vhamraas system has the

advantage of tending gradually to do away with
the loan system but it is universally recognised
that Khammas divers are not as efficient as
Selafieh divers, they do not remain so long at
sea, they dive less frequently during the day

and are not so amenable to discipline as they
are not bound to continue diving with the same
nakhuda. Regarding the two systems from a

broad and humanitarian point of view it is
evident that the Khammas system is the best,
but commercially it is the least profitable.
Diving debts.

8. The advances for 1352 were settled as

usual at a meeting of the leaders of the diving
industry and the announcement that the advances
would be the same as during the previous year
raised no protest. Several people at the

meeting suggested a further reduction.
9. Very few divers earned more than the
total amount of the advances but in many boats

the Selafieh divers accepted advances of less
than the authorised amounts knowing that if
they did not agree the nakhudas would not take
them out. The government order forbids the
nakhudas to advances more than the specified

amount, it does not forbid advances of less than