'File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Reports' [‎213r] (425/432)

The first shipment rf rice frmm Cnlcuttn, f 1658 t ns, nrrivol
n December 25th 0 It hns n t yet been livileI between Bahrain
ml Sauli Arabia, but Bahrain is likely t' get seme 765 t'ns.
Jncluling these, there are at present strut 2-J months’ supply
rf rice cand seven weeks' supply f flrur. The position wmli
have 1c ked brighter than fer s^me time past, but for recent
infmmati n that the Sind Government has prohibited the export
f rice and fl ur frm Karachi, whence all Bahrain’ s normal
supplies ceme. The Government " f India have been asked to
rder the release cf the Gulf quotas.
(ii) Reference porsgrmh 248 (iii) of Intelligence Summary
lb o22 f 1942, in which it was reported that no purchases of
rice for Bahrain during recent weeks had been male in Karachi
at the ’Control' price. Since that rep rt, the export tr r> de
c ntr^l authorities at Karachi have alleged, in reply t
telegram fr m this Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. , that the
exists purely in the case cf expert
9
"black market" at Karachi
sales and that 1 cal sales
This rep rr does not accord
t the effect that, though
taken place at ’Contrc1’
are not given, the
candy more. If the
price, he is either
is available or is
take place at the ’Control’ prices,
with cur information here, which is
the sellers’ books sh w sales as having
prices aid receipts f r mere than these
sales are actually made at Rs 7 or 8 per
w. uld-bo buyer insists on the ’Cmtr 1’
of Id thoot none cf the commodity require
In this connexi:n a
sold adulterated stuff.
latest invoices sent by the two principal exp r
!v homed El Marzuk and Haji Suleman Adam Kcthari
the pr:’
n of - the
compari:
+. cr s t o B ahr a in,
is interesting
The former's invoices unashamedly show the price b iled rice
as P-,68 — Psl2 more than the 'Cmtr 1’ price. The letter deems
it more prudent to shew the sales as having taken place at the
’ Control'’ price, but makes up the extra in the form ~f increas
which are
, Whereas
'Expenses’. The resultant totals in both cases
higher than ether merchants ' } are about the same
Mohomed El Marzuk’s invoices are the mere difficult to query
-t this end, — for it is easier to determine f e normal expens
inv Ived in bringing foodstuffs to Bahrain tnan toe correct
"market" prices when these do not coincide with ’Ccntr 1' pric )
-- the\ are the more likely to lead to discipli ia"*y action whe
brought to the notice cf the authorities in Karacni.
2^ 2, Fpod_ Suppl ie s - Sa udi Ar abia .
Reference paragraph 261 of Intelligence Summary^Fc.23
cf 1942, which reported that the price control system devised
in Hassa a month previously had broken down in respect of all
but quota goods imported under the new Saudi Arabian Supplies
Scheme. It now appears that it tms br ken Ihwn altogether,
probably in c nsequence f representations by rap-emus mere bo-
283. E xpert Restrictions .
The latest item which the Bahrain Government(foilowi
the example cf Saudi Arabia) have had to incLude in their exo
restrictions is sailing craft. A recent procl'-maticn by H.H.
the Shaikh declares that no sailing craft that has been in use
during the past two years may be sold to any foreigner^wishinr
to remove it from Bahrain. The reason for this order is the
necessity of protecting the Bahrain pc'rling fleet from the
loss of dhows through the attractive prices offered by buyers
from Kuweit and other Gulf States. 82 boats in the last two
years have been bought by foreigners and removed from Bahrain,
including 9 pearling dhows- in the past ton months. ^ This expoi-
trade in dhows is normally encouraged by the Bahrain Governmen
out now, with the difficulty of obtaining timber from India,^
the time has come when unrestricted export would prove injurim
to the interests of the pearl industry.
The embargo does not cover boats that have not yet
been launched or that are made tc order for foreigners. her
/ are