Page 47 - Personal Column (Charles Belgrave)_Neat

understand the figures, so why should we do tliis?’ ‘In that case what
harm is there in publishing them?’ I replied. We sent out copies in a
simple form and found that people were extremely interested. It put an
end to the idea that the Government was rolling in money and could
afford to do more than it did.
In later years the budget was published in full in the Government
Gazette, but it was a long time before any of the other states in the Gulf
published even a semblance of a budget. It was at this time that the
arrangement was made whereby the Shaikh received one-third of the oil
revenue in the Privy Purse, part of which he used for paying the allow­
ances of his innumerable relations. One-third of the revenue was invested
in the Reserve Fund and in productive schemes and one-third was spent
on administration and development. It was not a popular policy. Many
Arabs saw no point in putting aside money for a rainy day and they re­
garded the rates of interest obtained from our investments as being
negligible. Many people would have liked to see all the oil extracted
from the ground as fast as possible, and turned into cash. ‘As for the
future,’ they said, ‘Allah will provide.’
As time passed BAPCO extended its operations; there was always
some big, new construction plan in progress—in fact the company never
seemed to pause for breath. The most important development was the
Walter Sanders ourtesy 'Life' Magazine. © 1952 Time Inc building of the refinery. The first stage was completed in 1937, subse­
C.D.B. inspecting Camel Section quently it was enlarged and improved to cope with the oil from Saudi
Arabia which was brought to the refinery through a twenty-five-mile-
long submarine pipeline from Dhahran, on the Arabian coast. BAPCO
Photo: Max Thornburg
built a pier, three miles long, near the refinery, which was on the coast,
which enabled tankers to come alongside, and a drum plant and an asphalt
plant. Awali, the oil town, was constantly extended, and more offices,
clubs, cinemas, recreation facilities and houses were added, but it seemed
that the number of European employees was always a step ahead of the
houses which were completed. The unending activity of the company
resulted in a steady increase in the number of local workers and the wages
which they earned, and the large sums spent by the company on
construction operations and local purchases contributed greatly to the
prosperity of the State. The oil field was small, its expectation of produc­
tive life was comparatively short, so I always felt that the existence of a
big refinery, depending mainly on oil from Saudi Arabia, providing em­
ployment for such a large proportion of the population, was, almost, as
much value to the economy of the country as the oil field.
One of the first sections of the refinery to be installed was what is
35

Young Shaikhs
with attendants
i!
h