Page 324 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (IV)_Neat

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REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE, 1370

Revenue. Expenditure.
Rs. a. p. Rs. a. p.
Shop Tax .......................... 2.19.440 1 5 Staff Salaries, Provident
House Tax .......................... 1,25,890 0 6 Fund, etc.............................. 91.214 15 0
Government Grant 4.1,500 0 o Office expenses .. .. 8,121 90
Share of Vehicle Tax 20,417 9 6 Town cleaning .. .. 1,60,160 8 6
Rent of Municipal Property .. 26,525 14 2 Town lighting .. .. 19.078 12 o
Fees from Butchers and Road metalling and repairing 95,821 11 o
Slaughter House 25.457 6 o Widening roads .. .. 5.047 4 0
Building and Mason fees 7.395 0 0 Pauper burials .. .. 2,286 13 6
Miscellaneous Taxes and Fees 91,682 13 0 Upkeep of Municipal property 9,300 o 0
Muharraq in certain taxes .. 27,078 2 7
5.57.308 12 7 Upkeep of public W.Cs. and
rubbish bins .. .. 6,156 14 o
Miscellaneous .. ... 6,807 8 o
Fire service and road watering 42,723 11 6
Seats for public gardens and
roads ........................... 6,452 13 0
Planting street trees and
square gardens .. .. 29,511 3 6
5.09.761 13 7
Surplus of Revenue 47.546 15 o
Total Rs. 5,57.308 12 7 Total Rs. 5.57.308 12 7
Cash in Bank at the end of
1369 • • 1.40.598 4 «
Cash in Bank at the end of
1370.. .. 2,47,728 10 7
Rs. 1,01,160-0-0 was collected from selling
7 pieces of land to the public during 1370.
There was an increase in Municipal revenue of approximately Rs. 1,38,000 but the expenditure
was Rs. 1 50,000 higher than in the previous year. Excess of revenue over expenditure was Rs. 47,000.
For some years the revenue of the Municipality has been steadily increasing but each year the cost
of Municipal services, wages, prices of materials, etc., have risen. The higher revenue was derived
mainly from house and shop taxes and from fees on livestock, etc.
A big programme of road work was carried out. Most of the principal streets are now metalled
and pavements are being built along them. Over 350 trees were planted at the sides of roads and a
large proportion of them survived. A new public garden was made on a triangle of land on Belgrave
Road with a fountain in the centre with lawns and flower beds and benches. It was much used during
the summer. Portions of land and houses were acquired in several localities in order to widen streets.
Most of the heavy road work was carried out by the government, from the Public Works budget
but streets inside the town were metalled by the Municipality.
With increasing rapidity barasti (palm branch) houses are disappearing from inside the town
though in some suburban areas there are still large numbers of these buildings. In one or two streets
which ten years ago consisted almost entirely of baraslis today hardly one barasti can be seen. During
the year 85 new stone houses, 192 shops and 49 garages were built; 971 stone houses and shops were
repaired and 109 Saaf houses were constructed. The public are now not allowed to erect barastis
in many parts of the town but until more small stone houses are available existing barastis must remain.
The excessively high price of land both in and around the town discourages people from building small
houses which if let will not produce high rents. The government discussed with the Municipal Council
a scheme for building small cheap houses for low paid working men.
A new bus stand was built on ground reclaimed from the sea off the western section of the
Sea Road. The site had been partially filled in by the Municipality for use as place on which to unload
stones and building material. The government granted to the Municipality a similar area in the sea
adjacent to the bus station, as compensation. The new arrangement much relieved the traffic situa­
tion in the centre of the town.