Page 65 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (IV)_Neat

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There was no sign of any downward trend in prices during the year, on the contrary many items
including motor vehicles, radios, cycles and so-called luxury articles showed an increase in their invoice
values of up to io per cent.

Locally produced food supplies such as fish, vegetables and the few types of fruit which are
grown in Bahrain were more expensive than during last year. Frequently fish was unobtainable.
This was mainly due to the decrease in fishermen and the difficulty in obtaining fishing equipment such
as nets and the wire which is used for making fish traps. Many of the men who used to gain their
livelihood by fishing have now found less arduous and more profitable employment on shore. The
high cost of fruit and vegetables was due to the ever increasing population of Europeans, Indians and
other foreigners who are accustomed to cat European vegetables. Although these sell for high prices
few of the local gardeners grow them because in the long run they gain more profit from cultivating
lucerne and dates. During the year the Food Committee discussed the possibility of introducing
more modern methods of fishing, using launches instead of sailing boats, and at the end of the year
enquiries were made from fishing firms in Egypt.
The bazaar throughout the year was more heavily stocked with imported goods of every descrip­
tion than it has ever been before. Not only were the big shops filled to capacity but all the little
shops and stalls in the lanes and suburbs of the towns were crammed with tinned foods, biscuits,
American cigarettes, sauces, toilet goods, piecegoods and clothing, much of which had been bought
with “ open market ” dollars. In spite of high prices shopkeepers found a ready sale for all kinds of
goods both to people from outside Bahrain and to the local Arabs.
Since the war the people of Bahrain, particularly in the towns, have acquired the habit of
spending much of their money on things which a few years ago were unobtainable. The standard of
living has certainly improved but it is doubtful whether this improvement rests on a solid basis.
Today, if people are unable to afford to buy many of the things which are in the market, which cannot
be described as necessities, they feel resentful and complain that they are not receiving sufficient
recompense for their work. Elsewhere inflation is caused by too much spending power and insuffi­
cient consumer goods, in Bahrain inflation is likely to occur because there is a surfeit of consumer
goods which cannot be absorbed by the scale of incomes which prevail among the majority of the
population.