Page 236 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (III)_Neat

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MINORS’ ESTATES DEPARTMENT.
{From the report of Mr. Mohomed Dowaigar, Superintendent, Minors' Department).
Statement of Receipts and Expenditure Year 1364.
Receipts. Disbursement.
Rs. a. p. Rs. a. p.
Old debts recovered 21,921 12 8 Maintenance allowances, etc. 52,845 8 o
Proceeds of 23 estates .. 1,76,061 10 o Purchase of properties 19,214 o 0
Rents collected 51.505 6 6 Repairs and upkeep of property 23.138 7 6
Refund of loans advanced .. 1,20,742 0 9 Payments in cash .. 1,02,277 2 7
Interest on loans 10.523 4 3 Loans advanced 62,489 14 6
Proceeds from properties sold 22,999 o o Balance at end of year 1364 .. 3,61,525 8 5
Balance from year 1363 .. 2,17,737 8 10
6,21,490 9 0 6,21,490 9 0

Estates.—The department dealt with the administration of 23 new estates during the year
as against 14 in the previous year, of these three were of some importance being the estates of Haji Ali
bin Marhoon, a man who used to be an important pearl dealer but became a recluse and died leaving
much valuable property, Abdullah bin Ali Al-Zayid, the former proprietor of the newspaper At-
Bahrain and the local printing press and Isa bin Ali Al-Rashid, a notable of Hedd. Compensation
paid by the Bahrain Petroleum Company to the heirs of men who lost their lives in accidents while
employed by the Company was paid out to the heirs by the department.
Rents and Leases.—During the year Rs. 51,500 was collected from leases of property belonging
to estates under the administration of the department. The increase in rents which were collected
was due mainly to the 10% increase in house and shop rents and the high value of gardens.
Loans.—The refunds of loans during the year amounted to Rs. 1,20,700 which was about
Rs. 60,000 less than last year’s refunds. There was less demand for loans than in previous years
probably on account of the general prosperity therefore the committee decided to reduce the amount
of interest demanded on loans. Loans arc advanced against securities in the form of gold or title-
deeds of immoveable property. The interest [on loans which was collected during the year was
Rs. 10,500. During the year new loans up to Rs. 62,400 were made, and there were outstanding
loans totalling Rs. 1,24,500.
Sale of Property.—Three houses, a plot of open land and four date gardens, some of them in
Katif, were sold by the department for Rs. 23,000 after the committee had agreed that it was in the
best interests of the estates concerned that the property should be sold. Seven houses, in Bahrain,
and a piece of land were purchased. Owing to the high price of all types of property it was not
considered advisable to make any other investments in land.
Old Debts.—Repayments of debts due to the estates amounted to Rs. 22,000. The debts
were recovered without resorting to the courts.
Maintenance.—The number of persons drawing allowances from the department was 300
and the sum disbursed during the year under this heading was Rs. 52,800 as against Rs. 37.700 in
1363. The increase was due to the greater number of persons who were paid allowances and the rise
in some of the actual allowances.
Repairs to Property.—The amount spent on the repairs and upkeep of property was
Rs. 23,000, this included the construction of three new houses for letting. Cash payments to heirs
amounted to Rs. 1,02,200 as against Rs. 63,300 in the previous year. In one estate a payment of
Rs. 50,000 was made to the heirs.
•The Minors’ Estates Department has now been in existence for over seven years. In the
beginning the President of the committee was His Highness Shaikh Sulman but after his accession he
appointed Shaikh Daij bin Shaikh Hamad to take his place with Shaikh Ali bin Khalifah bin Daij as
his deputy. The cost to the Government of this department was approximately Rs. 14,000. The
question of whether a small fee should be charged for the administration of estates to enable the
department to be self-supporting is under consideration.