Page 51 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (III)_Neat

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them out at sea some distance from the shore so that the boat can sail away before it is caught. The
Persians swim ashore and make for the nearest town, when they reach the Persian quarter they usually
find friends or relations who conceal them until the chances of detection become remote. To combat
this nuisance the Bahrain Government employs police patrols on horses and camels and frequent sea
patrols by police in haunches. Imprisonment is no deterrent to these Persian refugees from famine
who would gladly spend three or four months in jail being well fed at the cost of the Bahrain
Government.
FOOD CONTROL.
In spite of many difficulties there was at no time during the year an actual shortage of essential
foodstuffs in Bahrain and prices, being controlled, wore considerably lower than in neighbouring
countries.
At the beginning of the year the Government tried to buy from India a supply of rice, wheat
and sugar to form a food reserve. This rice with the stocks then in hand would have lasted for a year
and would l^ave cost about fifteen lakhs of rupees. The effort was made too late. By March it was
impossible to obtain these supplies from India. This failure was particularly unfortunate because
the Government's intention had been given much publicity and was the chief point in the speech made
by His Highness Shaikh Sulman on the day of his accession celebrations.
During the first half of the year difficulties in obtaining supplies from India were due mainly
to lack of shipping space. During the latter part of the year, owing to supplies from Burma being cut
off and because abnormal demands were made on the food supplies of India, exports from India to
Bahrain were restricted. In the earlier part of the year merchants had to obtain export permits in
India in order to export most commodities to Bahrain. In Bahrain they were allowed io per cent
dear profit on their imports of essential foodstuffs. The difficulties in obtaining permits were
exaggerated by merchants into excuses for not importing foodstuffs into Bahrain, the real reason
being that it was more profitable to trade in Saudi Arabia and the Trucial Coast where no price control
existed and big profits were certain. The Bahrain merchants, almost all foreigners, showed a complete
lack of esprit de patric and from the beginning abstained from co-operation with the Government
seeking big profits outside Bahrain and working sometimes against the interest of their country
of adoption.
Lack of shipping space in steamers could not be made up by the use of local sailing craft, as
was done to a certain extent in Kuwait, because Bahrain possessed only some half dozen big dhows
suited for trading between India and Bahrain. The owners of these vessels found it more profitable
to carry cargo between India and Basrah than to use them for bringing supplies to Bahrain. Owing
to a scries of bad pearling seasons there was a slump in boat building before the war and the supply
of timber had sunk so low that no new craft could be built.
In the spring Bahrain had sufficient food supplies to last for about six months, though rationing
had not been introduced prices and sales were controlled. When the diving season began the quantity
of provisions to be taken out by the diving fleet was restricted to a certain quantity per head. The
rice ration which was allowed to divers was so generous that a large proportion of it was bought by
nakhudas, not used for diving but sold very profitably later in the year in the " black market."
Because shopkeepers were reluctant to sell sugar to the public, sugar was sold in small quantities in a
number of authorized shops controlled by the municipalities. From the stock returns which had
for some time been submitted weekly by merchants and shopkeepers the Government was able to
keep itself informed as to the food position but as only traders were compelled to submit returns it
was not possible to keep any check of the large supplies held by private individuals who had begun
hoarding when the war started.
During the early part of the year the export of coffee, tea and piece-goods was allowed, by
permission of the Food Controller, as Bahrain was well stocked with these goods. Enterprising
Kuwaiti traders, who have always been smarter and more shrewd in business than the Bahrain
merchants, descended upon Bahrain and bought up large quantities of piece-goods which they exported