'File 19/176 III (C 51) Bahrain Finances' [147r] (309/687)
The record is made up of 1 volume (344 folios). It was created in 29 Dec 1932-6 May 1934. It was written in English and Arabic. 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.
believe that any effort at bringing cargo direct from
India to a mainland port will not prove successful in
the long run: and I would here remakk that the recent
decision of the ^nglo Persian Oil Co. at ixbatian to
send their small steamer^ t Khuzistan , to the mainland
ports to sell oil etc., is an error; since the Company
will not sell any more oil than it does at present'by
transhipment in Bahrain, but, on the other nand will
expose its steamer to extra working expense, and take
away some employment from some mainland and local
native craft.
In my report for 1350, I alluded to the difficult
P9sition existing here arising from the question of the
dire9t transhipment of cargo in this port. The position
remained of minor importance for several years until
several factors; mainly the growing self-consciousness
of the Hejdy merchants, the high freight rates charged
by the B.I.S.N.Co. Ltd. ? (which company has practically
the monopoly of the India-
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
" cargo traffic)
and the falling prices of Indian commodities notably
cereals, made the Nejdy merchants closely consider the
amount of the expenses they ?/ere paying, in view of the
feneral business depression, on the cereals taken hence
othe mainland ports. These expenses included the
shipping expenses from India and the Bahrain expenses
on re-export.
In Bahrain the rate of Khanchia per bag had been
fixed at three annas; but after carefully considering
the positi9n the Bahrain government decided to reduce
this rate in regard to re-exported bag cargo to ks 6/~
per hundred bags.
An attempt to force down the B#I. rates had Dre-
viously been made by a local Hindu merchant, who had
brought here a ship-load of rice and sugar from Cal
cutta in a Norwegian craft; but this action did not
lead to a general permanent re "uction of freight rates
by the Company.
Probably with this fact in mind, a Karachi shitmer
of rice (whose shipments are sold on the mainland on a
commission basis only) demanded special rates from the
B.I.S.N.Co. Ltd., under the threat that he would des
patch all future shipments by native craft direct to
the mainland, or possibly charter a special steamer
for his o?m purchases. After considerable discussion
and correspondence it was decided to affirm the ri ht
of the Bahrain government to collect two per cent ad
valorem upon all cargo transhipped within the port
limits; and the B.I.S.N.Co. made a gesture by reducing
its freight rate temporarily in order to compete with
a second special shipment of cargo from Calcutta to
Bahrain arrange?by ahovo Hindu merchant. This ship
ment came forward on s.s."Fagervick" a Norwegian vessel
which arrived here on 1st Raba al Thany 1351 (3rd Aug.
1932) with 24,176 packages of rice tea and coffee.
In the meanwhile the Karachi shipper, Hajy Hassan
bin Murzook, had promised H. B. M f s Political .igent
that he would make no direct shipments thence to the
mainland of ArabiGuan consideration of a reduction in
the freight rate, and also if the Bahrain government
About this item
- Content
This file contains detailed correspondence regarding Bahrain's finances from between 1932 and 1934 including revenue and expenditure figures. The correspondence also discusses state control of artesian wells, customs/tariff matters, budget estimates, auditing details, counterfeit coins and other financial issues.
On folios 80-155 and folios 246-320 are two annual reports (completed by Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa's adviser, Charles Belgrave) for the hijri calender years 1351 (1932/3 CE) and 1352 (1933/4 CE) respectively. The reports contain a detailed assesment of Bahrain's finances, services and other related issues including the pearl diving industry, the police force and agriculture.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (344 folios)
- Arrangement
File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.
An index of the topics contained in the file is contained on folio 1B. The index uses page numbers that relate to the complete foliation sequence that is written in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio.
- Physical characteristics
Formerly a bound correspondence volume, the file's sheets have been unbound and are now loose.
There appear to be three incomplete foliation sequences and one complete foliation sequence. The first three sequences appear to reflect sequences assigned to files within the volume. The complete foliation sequence begins on the first folio with the number 1A. This is followed by 1B and then by two blank folios, which do not have numbers. The sequence resumes on 1C and continues through to 205, after which number the sequence jumps to number 214. This may be a foliating error, although another possibility is that folios with confidential information have been removed. The sequence continues from 214 through to 341 - the number given to the spine, which has been removed and placed in melinex. Letters are used elsewhere in the sequence: 3A and 3B; 141A and 141B; and 166A, 166B, 166C, which are housed in an envelope (166D) that is attached to folio 166D.
The complete foliation sequence is written in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio.
- Written in
- English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/1/352
- Title
- 'File 19/176 III (C 51) Bahrain Finances'
- Pages
- front, front-i, i-r:i-v, 1ar:1bv, ii-r:iii-v, 1cr:1cv, 5r:15v, 20r:21v, 26r:31v, 36r:37v, 43r:43v, 45r:49v, 61r:79v, 142r:151v, 156r:165v, 166er:166ev, 170r:186r, 187r:197v, 216r:222v, 229r:240v, 242r:245v, 320v:339v, back-i, back, 341r
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence