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Coll 5/25 ‘Air Route to India (Arab Coast): Landing ground at Bahrain; Bahrain Civil Air Agreement’ [290v] (580/1088)
The record is made up of 1 file (542 folios). It was created in 13 Sep 1932-19 Dec 1945. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
principle that the sum of £.500 paid at present to the Rulers
should he regarded only as consideration for the privileges
under A, and that the Civil Air Agreements should he amended so
as to provide for the payment of customs duty on all petrol and
oil imported for the use of Imperial Airways.
4. It is now generally agreed that the Rulers in question
have a clear case in equity for a re-examination of the effect
of the existing Civil Air Agreements (vide paragraph 2 of Air
Ministry letter Ro.S.32956 II/D.D.C.A., dated the 31st August
1935). The Air Ministry, however, are averse from making a
concession in the form suggested by me, i.e. payment of customs
duty, as it would he difficult to avoid continuing it on the
same basis in connection with the Empire Air Mail Scheme, and
have suggested (vide paragraph 5 of their letter quoted above)
that privilege B should be compensated for by an annual payment
of £.250 to each Ruler in addition to the annual peyment of
£.500 for the privileges accorded under A, it being made clear
that the additional payment would cover the extended frequency
of services visualised in 1937 and onwards.
5. I am still of opinion that the simplest and most
satisfactory way to deal with B is for customs duty to be paid
on the actual amount imported. If, however, the objections to
this proposal on the part of the Air Ministry are very strong,
the only alternative is to fix a lump sum to be paid annually
in lieu of customs duty. But in equity to the Rulers this sum
should have some relation to the actual amount of duty the Ruler
surrenders. I do not know, for instance, on what basis the Air
Ministry suggested the sum of £.250. When the lump sum of £.500
to cover both A and B was fixed the service had only recently
been transferred to the Arab route, and it was difficult to arrive
at any reliable data. The service has now been running on the
Arab Coast for over three years and figures of the importation of
fuel for aircraft on the basis of a weekly service can doubtless
be supplied by Imperial Airways. If this consumption is multiplied
by five this would give a rough approximation of the fuel consumption
when the service is expanded to its maximum, i.e. at five services a
week, in 1937. The customs duty on fuel at Kuwait and Bahrain is
5$, that at Muscat is 10^, but in order to bring the Sultan of
Muscat into line with the Rulers of Kuwait and Bahrain the duty at
Muscat may be regarded as being 5^ for the purposes of assessing
the annual payment under B (vide paragraph 9 of my Express Letter
quoted above.) With these factors as a basis it should be
possible to arrive at a lump sum which would not only be fair to
the Ruler, but would be based on a principle which would be readily
understood by him.
The/
About this item
- Content
The file contains correspondence related to negotiations surrounding the Bahrain Civil Air Agreement (1934) between the British Government and the Government of Bahrain, along with subsequent amendments and renewals, and issues arising from the implementation of the agreement. Occasional reference is made to similar agreements with Kuwait, Muscat, and Sharjah. It also covers the preliminary negotiations in 1933 between Imperial Airways and the Government of Bahrain, and the file contains three draft versions of this agreement: see folios 489-495, 516-518, and 533-539. The latter negotiations are superseded by negotiations for the Civil Air Agreement, following a decision to standardise civil aviation procedures across the Arab Shaikhdoms.
Issues related to Muharraq Aerodrome and the Manama Flying Boat base are also covered in the file, which includes the application of a legal definition of an aerodrome to Bahrain, and efforts to define the geographical extent of these air bases. This includes negotiations with the Government of Bahrain for the purchase of additional land round the Muharraq Airfield for the Royal Air Force (RAF), and the extension of facilities such as the pier at Manama. A sketch map produced by the Government of Bahrain in 1944 can be found on folio 133 in relation to a proposal from the British Government to acquire an area – referred to as area 'C' – adjacent to the Muharraq Aerodrome for the RAF.
A map can be found on folio 245 showing the approaches to Bahrain harbour, which is included as a result of negotiations to establish a flying boat service through Bahrain in 1937.
The Arabic language content is limited to a copy of the Bahrain Civil Air Agreement (1934), which contains both Arabic and English translations (see folios 332-348), and a few items of additional correspondence with the Shaikh of Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah [Shaikh, Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah].
The main correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (Trenchard Craven William Fowle, Hugh Weightman, and Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Bahrain, officials of the Air Ministry, and officials of the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. . Occasional reference is made to the Government of Bahrain via Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain.
The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (542 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 543; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Coll 5/25 ‘Air Route to India (Arab Coast): Landing ground at Bahrain; Bahrain Civil Air Agreement’ [290v] (580/1088), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/1972, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100054514176.0x0000b7> [accessed 12 March 2025]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/1972
- Title
- Coll 5/25 ‘Air Route to India (Arab Coast): Landing ground at Bahrain; Bahrain Civil Air Agreement’
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:59v, 61r:69v, 72r:119v, 123r:131v, 134r:157v, 159r:201v, 203r:237v, 241r:244v, 246r:247v, 250r:278v, 283r:300v, 302r:319v, 321r:325v, 327r:328v, 330r:348v, 350r:359v, 361r:375v, 377r:439v, 444r:458v, 462r:468v, 473r:488v, 496r:515v, 519r:530v, 540r:543v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence