Page 56 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (III)_Neat

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GENERAL.

Hit Royal Highnct* the Duke of Gloucester’s Visit. Ilis Royal Highness the Duke
of Gloucester visited Bahrain on his way to India in June 1942. He travelled incognito and his visit
was private. He was welcomed at the aerodrome by His Highness Shaikh Suhnan and Shaikhs
Mohomcd and Abdullah and a Guard of Honour was provided by the State Police. His Highness
Shaikh Sulman accompanied His Royal Highness to the Political Agency where lie stayed the night.
His Royal Highness visited His Highness at the Palace where the senior members of the Ruling Family
were presented to him. His Royal Highness accepted from His Highness Shaikh Suhnan, as a
memento of the visit, an ancient Arab sword in a gold scabbard and some Bahrain pearls.
The Motor Racket. The excessively high prices paid for motor vehicles in Iraq and Persia
and the shortage of tyres and spare parts in Bahrain was responsible for an abnormal boom in second­
hand cars. Old cars changed hands at fantastically high prices and many of them were exported to
Kuwait or Iraq in spite of the fact that it was known that new cars could not be procured from abroad.
As a result of the decreasing number of vehicles, especially lorries, on the roads the use of horse and
donkey carts, with old tyres fitted on the wheels increased during the year.
Poor Relief Measures. Local Sunni and Sliia notables decided early in the year to raise
funds for the poor. The need for public relief measures was very urgent. Towards the end of the
year it was apparent that conditions bordering on starvation existed in many villages especially those
not dependent on agriculture. In Manamah and to a lesser extent in Muharraq the poor were better
cared for, until rationing was introduced, because wealthy households distributed generous amounts
of food to their destitute neighbours; when rationing was introduced this form of charity ceased.
It was suggested that one committee should be formed to deal with the matter but the Sunnis
and Shias found it impossible to combine, so a Sunni committee under the presidency of
Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad was set up and a Shia committee presided over by Haj Mansur
A1 Arayadh. The Sunnis collected Rs. 32,000 from the public and the Shias collected Rs. 15,000.
The Government gave Rs. 10,000 to each committee. Unfortunately dissensions and disagreements
arose about the methods of collecting money which threatened to develop into a serious sectarial
dispute. This was averted by the Government insisting on there being one central committee under
the presidency of His Excellency Shaikh Abdullah bin Isa Alkhalifah with two sub-committees, one
Sunni and one Shia. The Shias organised the distribution of the food which they bought with their
funds in a careful and satisfactory manner, the Sunnis however laid themselves open to charges of
favouritism and mismanagement.
Gift of Dates from His Majesty King Ibn Saoud. Soon after the date harvest the export
of dates from Saoudi Arabia was forbidden by the Government. The Bahrain Relief Committees
had before this sent money to Qatif to buy dates. Owing to the embargo they were unable to get
permission to export the dates to Bahrain. His Majesty King Ibn Saoud instead of allowing the
export, which would have set up a precedent, presented to His Highness Shaikh Sulman 15,000 baskets
of dates worth about Rs. 60,000 for distribution to the poor of Bahrain, a gesture which was very
greatly appreciated by the people of Bahrain. His Highness Shaikh Sulman divided most of this
gift among the two committees who distributed it among the people. At the same time the Bahrain
Government waived the payment by the Saoudi Government of the price of 3,000 bags of Canadian
wheat which had been supplied to Saoudi Arabia.
Bahrain Levies. Two companies of local levies were enlisted by the Bahrain Government
and then taken over by the officers of the Royal Air Force Levies. For some time the police fort was
used as their headquarters and the men were housed in the old palace west of the fort which was lent
for this purpose by His Highness Shaikh Sulman. N.C.O.s from the State Police were provided for
training the recruits until the Levy personnel arrived from Iraq. In order to facilitate the enlistment
of many of the men who were divers the Bahrain Government repaid to the nakhudas the advances
which had been made to enlisted men for the diving season on the understanding that this sum, about
Rs. 3,000 would be recovered from the recruits by monthly instalments. Had this not been done the
diving nakhudas would have made a justifiable protest to the Government.
The camps in which the Levies were finally stationed were among the many military building
works carried out by the Bahrain Government Public Works Department,