'Administration Report of the Persian Gulf Political Residency for the Years 1915-1919' [‎148v] (303/396)

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62 ANNUAL EEPORT OF THE PERSIAN GULF The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. POLITICAL RESIDENCY An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India.
No favourable opportunity was found of removing him till Shaikh S r
made his declaration of July 5th, 1918, that he would banish anyone act ^
against the British Government in word or deed. On August 26th lie m ^
was broached and on the 27th Shaikh Salim consented to send Yus ^ T
Dawairi to Bombay, where he was to receive quarters and a subsist!
allowance ; the next d \y, however, he endeavoured to beg him off on va 6,11(36
pretexts and suggested among other things that he be sent to Bahrain or H 0U8
or to Shaikh Ibrahim of Zubair to whom he is said to be related on the fernT
side. The Civil Commissioner authorised 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. to order fh
Shaikh to deport Yusuf-al-Duwairi if his advice were not accepted and tele® 6
phed to the Shaikh advising him to comply with the Political Agen?'
authoritative advice. " The Shaikh was very unwilling: to take action ^ev 8
after the receipt of the Civil Commissioner's message but his advisers persuaT
ed him that resistance was useless and Yusuf-al-Duwairi left in the U. vr <?"
" Palitana '* on August 29th.
The Kuwait pearling fleet returned from the banks during the first half
Pearl Fishery. of October. There were" only 328 boats
trom Kuwait engaged in the fisheries in
1918 as against approximately 450, 500 and 600 in 1917, 1916 and 1915, respect
ively. The decrease in the number of boats is said to be due to the usual crews
from Basrah and Nejd not arriving as they had more profitable employment
elsewhere. The takings were said to be only about three-fourths of what thev
were in 1917. *
An exceptionally good pearl, said to be about the size of a pigeon's eg®
was got by Abdullah bin Yakut of Kuwait. It was sold to Hamad bin All
Zayani of Bahrain for Rs. 1,10,000, who was subsequently offered Rs. 1* lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
for it by Shamlan of Kuwait but would not accept it. The pearl is said to be
worth Rs. 2,20,000=
Reports are still being received from different sources about the smugo-l"
Arms Traffic. of arms an(i amm unition from Kuwait
into Tangistan on the Persian coast.
On 4th October reliable news was received here that certain Tangistanis
sailed from here the previous night with ammunition for Tangistan. On 26tli
November the Vice^Consul, Bushire, was informed by the Provincial Director of
Customs, Bushire, of a report received by the latter that 40 rifles and 50,000
cartridges from Kuwait were landed at Dilvar (Tangistan) about the 20th Novem-
bei. Rewards have been offered here for the apprehension of arms smugglers,
houses have been searched by the Shaikh in company with 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.
and the local Director of Customs is continually on the look-out, but up to
t le piesent it has been impossible to lay hands on any of the smugglers.
ItcvGnus. The Shaikh's principal sources of revenue are :—■
(1) Customs.
(2) Pearl-fishery.
(3) Private property.
Revenue derived from the Customs has suffered a great deal in the year
under review owing to the Blockade restrictions which were in force. To
compensate the Shaikh for this, the Government of India gave him a present
ot Rs. 00 000 and have foregone the loan of Rs. 1,87,500 which was gi^en
him m 19lo for the erection of the Water Plant.
Ihe Shaikh claims one divers share in each Kuwait pearling boat.
The Shaikh owns several large date gardens at Fao and Basrah, which bring
mm an annual revenue of about Rs. 7,00,000.
The land around Kuwait is rich, and admirably suited to irrigation but
Irrigation. is dependent on wells, of ^hich there are
nHnn riot many, as a source of supply. Irri-
^ ti eie oie confined to a few centres where water is found.
e aiea under cultivation is small due to the scarcity of water. The
Agriculture. principal cultivation centres are Jahara,
Oasnr nnnof wi, * i i , Hawaiii, and a few villages along the
iea and bailey are sown in the onen desert in the rainy
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