Coll 30/9(2) 'Admin. Reports of the Persian Gulf - 1945 -' [‎560r] (1119/1148)

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twirl out at Safwan, and that while cars were allowed to enter Iraq none were
n lowed to enter Kuwait This state of affairs continued for two days when tlie
re f scmd 1 ( ; d t le order J bllt stipulated that exit visas would be required
Wlore a traveller could leave Iraq for Kuwait. The official reason given to the
1 ritish Consul at Basra was that the Iraqi authorities only wished to stop those
passengers suspected of spreading propaganda against the Shaikh of Kuwait :
fins at a time when the Iraqi press was full of anti-Kuwait propaganda.
In March the Kaimakam of Abul Khasib served a demand note for £19 480
on the heirs ol Shaikh Mubarak, on account of past unpaid taxes. The demand
■statcG that if the amount were not paid within 10 davs their property would be
attached. But before the 10 days were up the Fao and Faddaghiya estates were
both seized by the Mudir of Fao. However, after strong representations by
His Majesty s Government, the majority of the Shaikh’s cultivators were even
tually reinstated.
for 1938 6 <J ar dens in Iraq. —Reference (c) of II of the report
On the 6th February a decision was .given against the Shaikh by the Bagdad
PP ea l C°ort, to whom an appeal had been made against the decision of the
Basra court winch had declared the Shaikh’s title invalid. The appeal was dis
allowed on a grammatical quibble, it being stated that the correct form of rli^
verb had not been used in the surety bond prepared by Mr. Partu, the Shaikh’s
law > or. His Highness had paid the maximum Iraqi appeal tax of £300 at the
inception ol the appeal. In June judgment w r as passed transferring the
case to Land Settlement.
During the earlier part of the year the Iraqi press published inflammatory
propaganda articles stressing the alleged desire of the people of Kuwait to join
Kuwait to Iraq the object being to incite the Iraqis to try Hitler’s Sudeten
methods on Kuwait. The King of Iraq also broadcast in the same strain from
Bagdad. On the death of the King the campaign died down.
(b) Saudi Arabia. —Kuwait-Saudi relations remained excellent throughout
the year.
In March, the London and the Palestine Arabic broadcasts mentioned an
official Saudi communique to the Egyptian press, in wdiich King Ibn Sand em
phatically denied a newspaper report that he was agreeable to the inclusion of
Kinvait to Iraq. “ Kmvait is Kuwaiti and belongs to the Kuwaitis ” the com
munique said w T as his attitude.
i %
VII.—OIL.
In ,luly the oil bearing strata w r as reached in Burgan well No. 3.
The new office building at the west end of Kuwait v 7 as occupied at the latter
part of the year. The staff quarters at Magwa w^ere also completed but had
not been allotted at the close of the year.
Soon after the outbreak of war the Kuwait Oil Company decided not to Cc,- • m
declare commercial production, owing to war conditions prevailing, but to pay . R > •
the Shaikh the royalty due, i.e., 24 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees per annum instead. The Shaikh pro- t .. . **. ^ u
tested against the decision and demanded 4 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees as compensation. The case
had not been settled by the end of the year. p* 71*
Sums -/oAks tfc oAfi-
Tue usual visits by His Majesty’s sloops of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Division w r ere .
made before the outbreak; of war.
VIII.—ROYAL NAVY.
IX.—ROYAL AIR FORCE.
During the year aircraft of the Royal Air Force used the Kuwait landing
ground in the course of their routine duties.
Sections of armoured cars from Shaibah visited Kuwait four times during
the year on a normal training visits.
In September the Royal Air Force installed a pack wireless set at the
Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. so that Kuwait in an emergency should no longer be dependent on Ihe
single land line belonging to Iraq and on which breakdowns are a frequent occur-
Z'cnce.