'File 19/175 Bahrain - Pearling' [‎25r] (48/83)

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All that had really happened was that the original coat of en-
wlavin fa a diver for life had risen^ .wing to competition,teut the
divers v/ere hopelessly tied up.& in reality^ worse off than formerly,
when occasionally, an energetic man could work in the off-seaoon «k
the debt & free himself. Of course the Naxhuda did not al
ways have it his own way-sometimes the diver aiea aftefe\. k 4 easons /
fclien he had genuinely, f or t he time being, * got awa^vith* the advances.
Sometimes he bolted ( <lc the Nitkhuda in either case lost his money.
^unavvays 1 have greatly increased of late years,^ many Nakhudas have
been ruined inconsequence. The methods now being gradually introduced
will decrease the risks of the ^akhudas, ic stop virtual enslavement
of the divers. Most Nakhudas now realise that it will have advantage^
for them in lessening risk, & as advances are limited by the State
the only means of attracting another Kakhuda's divers will be by
fairer treatment, that is by paying the diver his fair earnings.
An abuse which had sprung up in this connection^was tnat ^akhuaas
had begun to swindle one another by inducing divers Lo come to them
without paying off the original debt and recievin^; a 'Barwah' .
The first result of improved conditions will be for
divers to tend to come to Bahrain,where they can _eta square deal.
This is, in fact alrady becoming noticeable,A: herein lies the
"effect created in other chief ships 1 '.It is not a question of what xjpi
form of court exists^ or does not exist^in Bahrain,which interests
other chiefs,but the knowledge that the best divers will come to
Bahrain.This is so, & th^ natural consequence is that in ti e course
of time-the divers must be better treated ir thi r~st of thw Gulf
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we shall have achieved a more widespread improvemBHt th^n could kx
have been at first fores«en.
It is quite impossible to set forth all the details
in a letter-I have nade no mention of th% various systems of diving-
Khammas, T Azal, Madyan, t Ar v iil etc all of whic:. have their peculiar-
-ities & their individual abuses of their rules. To expiiin the full
ramifications of tha abuses which have arisen ^ their alfect both
on the industry & on trade,it would require an extremely icn Jiy
. I have collected infon ation with a vi v; to writing