'File 73/7 II (D 22) Status of Koweit [Kuwait] - Baghdad railway, Anglo Turkish negotiations' [‎153v] (312/540)

Sub-Enclosure 2.
Memorandum on postal work done at Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. > Kuwait,
Attention is invited to the attached tabular statement as showing at a
glance the very great increase in postal business in Kuwait. The first part
of the statement gives the actual figures for three periods of 4 months, 11 months
and 11 months respectively, but a better comparison is furnished by the latter
half in which these actual figures have been expanded into the form of annual
averages.
2. Column («) of the statement gives the outward money-order business
and it is worth noting that the figures represent only those money-orders
booked on behalf of the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. Staff, as no money-orders are accepted from
the general public, though the office is continually being asked to book them.
A regular post office would do an immense amount of business in this branch
as I believe is the case at all other Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. post offices especially at those
on the Arab Coast.
3. The same remarks apply to outward parcels business.
4. The increase in inward money-orders, parcels and registered articles
is enormous (4)35, 173 and 130 percent in eleven months respectively). It is
this work particularly which takes so much of the time of my office establish
ment from its legitimate work ; payments have to be made, receipts obtained
and accounts furnished weekly to the Bushire Post Office.
5. It has not been possible to take account of tbe inward letters, but the
increase judging roughly by quantity has been on the same scale. A count of
a few outward mails gave an average of 227 letters a week, that is some 12,000
per annum. A large number, however, are posted on board steamers to obtain
a lower rate of postage and are not included in these figures.
Although not all the stamps affixed to outward letters are actually bought
in Kuwait there has been a heavy increase of 119 per cent in the last eleven
months in the stamps sold to the public. Another column, that for overdue
and bearing postage recovered, for which unfortunately I have no previous
figures, serves to give an idea of how heavy the inward mail must be, when no
less than Us. 94 is recovered in eleven months on this account alone.
6. So much for the figures available which it would be interesting to com
pare with other Gulf ports. Lingah would furnish the best comparison as
having, like Kuwait, an insignificant through post to other places in the
interior. On the score of population however, Kuwait, with at least 40,000
inhabitants as against some 12,000 in Lingah, would seem likely to furnish a
better return on the necessary expenditure of a post office. Moreover, the
town is growing, trade is increasing and as the amenities of civilization become
better appreciated, the need of ordinarily free postal facility becomes more and
more urgent. The recent establishment of a branch of Ihe American Mission,
with three Europeans resident in Kuwait makes that need more than ever
apparent.
During the last four months (November to February) the increase in the
inward mail has been remarkable, over 1,000 parcels, over Rs. 1,700 in money-
orders and over 1,200 ^ registered articles having been received; these figures
show no signs of remaining stationary, much less of diminution, and urgently
proclaim the insistent want of a regular post office.
7. If the figures given above and in the attached statement are those
obtainable from and in spite of the work being carried on in an office which by
its nature cannot undertake any of the revenue-paying business of the post
office, how much more is the establishment of a regular post office likely to
expand postal business and revenue, especially if the present Union rates are
lowered to the inland Indian rates prevailing at Maskat and Bahrain.
P olitical A gency,
K uwait;
6th March 1912.
W. H. I. SHAKESPEAR, Captain,
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. , Kuwait.
Q. C. b. p., Simla.—No. C.-9 f. D.—17-4 12—44—C.G.S.