Page 53 - The Origins of the United Arab Emirates_Neat

The Aftermath of War: Perpetuation of Control 29

The Sheikhs require cautious handling, and there is some fear
that the permanent presence of a British office might have the
effect of provoking issues in connection with the status of the
Sheikhs and the pearling industry which arc quiescent at pre­
sent . . . .40

He agreed that Dubai was a rising trade centre and should ultimately
replace Sharjah as the headquarters of the Residency Agent, but
suggested that a British officer should be appointed to Lingah
instead: it was close to Dubai, and the two towns could be connected
by wireless. The first of these suggestions was put into effect in *
1910 with the establishment of a vice-consulate at Lingah. But
the Hyacinth incident that same year, and the consequent resistance
to any extension of British interests, caused the Government of
India to reject the idea of erecting a wireless station at Dubai.
Nineteen years later, the question of British representation on
the Coast was raised by F. W. Johnston, the Political Resident;
he had been particularly struck by the ‘complete absence of real
political touch’ with the Coast, and was clearly appalled at the
inadequacies of the Residency Agent, who was liable to intrigue
and bias.47 He suggested the establishment of a Political Agency
at Dubai.
Johnston’s successor, C. C. J. Barrett, did not agree completely.
While he admitted that the Residency Agent was capable of interfer­
ence in local affairs, he regarded him a better judge than any
Englishman of the intrigues of the Coast, and recommended continued
use of his influence. Another reason for Barrett’s opposition was
the great local hostility to foreigners and the determination to
resist any intrusion; the example of Bahrain, regarded as a British
possession, was viewed with great alarm on the Coast. The Resident
did not feel the time was ripe for any extension of influence,
but recommended instead that the Political Agent in Bahrain super­
vise the work of the Residency Agent.48
The next Resident, Hugh Biscoe, was concerned with the remote­
ness of the Coast, and considered the inefficient means of communica­
tion between Bushire and the Agency at Sharjah as central to
the problem. He strongly urged the erection of a wireless station,
and saw Dubai, undoubtedly the most important of the shaykhdoms,
as the best place for this.49 Nothing came of the idea. Lingeh
and Bahrain continued to be the closest towns with telegraphic
communications, but an administrative reorganisation occurred in
1932 that brought the Coast under somewhat closer British control.
A few months after he had become Resident, in 1932, T. C.
Fowle sought a more practical means of communication with the