'File 19/175 Bahrain - Pearling' [‎22r] (42/83)

who sutjectod tnem to worse treatment tlian "before o WJatn the reforms
started there virtually existed no tribunal for tne settlement of
diving uisputes.
In 1924 a system was started whereby all Kaidmdas
v/ere required to keep two accounts-a ^eneral account-and an individuat
account for tach diver.The difficulty then arose of startin^ the in
dividual accounts. Many divers had dived for years with their Uaichuda
or had passed through several hands. There were cases in v/hich they
had never had accounts for twenty years ana sometimes more,<l!f. wntn
some sort of account existed the diver had never had acc^esa to it <Sc
did not know how he stood.
T o start the new systems/hen a case came io court, a
compromise had to he effected "between the partie s, failin^ this the
case went to the radh'i in resptct of past accounts^- he contrived to
make a compromise which was always accepted. In tue majority of cases
the amount the diver was alleged to "be in deht was based on pure
surmise^ as no human "bein^, could check the chaotic accounts outstanding
over a long term of years. An analysis of a lar^e number of accounts
any reasonable
brought to light that had the divers been credited with^earnings
they would generally have been in credit not in aebt. However a start
had to be made as best we could & with the new sysytem properly enfor
-ced it was anticipated that the majority would work off their debts
in the course of a few years / ,and that new divers would be protected
in the future.
\ As can be imagined this involved a prodigious amount of
work in 1924 ( for most divers applied for adjustment of tiitir accounf^
kallam during his uerm here came in for a Certain number of the re
maining cases, but as t£.e season was on & the court in order not to
delay the work does not take accounts disputes auring the diving,ue
missed the thick of the work, Je have been gettin^ through most of
the old accounts^ not disposed of in I924,durin ii the present cola
weather•
Coming into this work without previous experience /
loallam must not unnaturally have found it difficut & confusing,which
I think accounts for his supposition that no ordinary court can ad-