Page 445 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (I)_Neat

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Bahrain oyster beds but to the pearl banks through-
out the CmIf. .vt the end of last season several
of the leading nen discussed with me the possibility

of closing some or all of the banks for a season as
is done in other places in order to give the oysters
a. chance to breed. Such a step would only be effec­
tive if the restriction was enforced on all the pearl­

ing communities of the Gulf. Such action would be
advantageous in some ways, it would probably result
in the merchants selling off all their old stock and
in an increase in oysters, The argument against
such a step would be that thousands of divers would

be out of employment for a year. If work could be
found for them during the Giving season it would be
possible for them to exist, I estimate roughly
that about 4 lacs would have to be spent on labour

in order to provide work for the Bahrain divers if
they did not go to the pearl banks for one season,
(iii) The increased manufacture of cultured
pearls.
Unfortunately for Bahrain the Japanese are manu­

facturing cultured pearls which are more and more
difficult to detect. They aim at doing away with
the dark artificial centre of the pearl which now

provides the means of detecting its falseness.
The government has been asked to, instal one of the
electric machines for testing pearls. A machine
could be purchased but it requires an expert to
work it.

(iv) The increased number of Khammas divers-
(▼) The decrease in the total number of
divers.