"تقرير الإدارة عن المقيمية السياسية في الخليج الفارسي للأعوام ١٩١٥-١٩١٩" [و‎‎١‎٨‎٩] (٣٩٦/٣٨٤)

FOR THE TEAR 1919. 69
There has been very little serious crime in the town during the year.
Education. -yExcept for the Day and Night School conducted by the
Eev. Mr. Caheriy of the American Mission, there are no educaHonal facilities
outside those offered in the Koranic schools which here, as in other places only
/each a sufficiency ot Arabic to enable the pupils to read the Koran. ^
Medical and Sanitation.—As the Assistant Surgeon's post has been vacant
the^Agency Charitable dispensary remained closed throughout the vear uruW
review, J
No sanitary arrangements exist in Kuwait, and there is no idea of syste
matic conservancy. ^ Those who live near the sea-share, use it for the purpose
01 nature, the inhabitants of the outskirts use the open desert and those of the
central quarters their house tops, or pits dug on the road-side or, in the
less frequented quarters, the road side itself. Here refuse matter is allowed to
accumulate.
. There are no scavengers bat the principal streets are generally fairly clean,
4)eing swept by the breeze which blows intermittingly almost throughout tbo
year. 3
Police, ihe Shaikh does not keep special men for police work but uses hia
retainers for this purpose whenever required. In addition to these there are
about 60 night guards, mostly Beloochies from the Mekran Coast, for watching
the shops at night. 0
Labour —Is expensive in Kuwait. The following are the present rates of
4aily wages for the different handicraft : —
Rs.
Head Mason
Assistant Mason
Labourer
Master carpenter
As istant carpenter
Nail driver .
Coolia
10 with food.
^ » it
4
^ If
10 „ „
8 „
6 ;» »
3 ,,
Thealjove rates were 50 to 75 per cent, lower before the war.
Honours Z^.—Four honours were conferred during the year as follows :—•
New Year's Honours' List . . C. S. I. to His Excellency Shaikh Saiim
Birthday Honours' List . . . O. B. E. to Dr. C. S. G. Mjlrea^ American
Mission.
}) . Khan BaLalur to Khxn Sahib Mulla
Sal«h bin Mohammud, Chief Secretary
to Shaikh of Kuvva/It. .
„ » • • ' Khan Sahib to Abdul Latif bin Abdu
Jalil, Director of Customs.
Kuwait Mission to England. —In August 1919 Bis Excellency the
Shaikh of Kuwait was invited to send his nephew, Shaikh Ahmad bin Jabir,
to London as a guest of His Majesty's Government. Though he wrote a cordial
reply accepting the invitation it is understood he was very perturbed at the
choice of Shaikh Ahmad. If the selection bad been left to himself he would
most probably have decided in favour of his own son, 'Abdullah, whom be has
for a long time been trying to bring into prominence with a view to the
succession, but who would make about as unsatisfactory a ruler as Shaikh Saiim
himself is. It is well, therefore, that he was left without a choice
Shaikh Ahmad, with a suite of three, left for England on August 28th and
arrived there on October 13th. Major Bowman, Director of Education in
'Iraq, was in charge of the party until its arrival in England when Mr. Philby
relieved him. On October 27th, Captain McCollum, who had been on leave
in England, was given charge and Shaikh Ahmad was by him presented t©
Their Majesties the King and Queen and Her Royal Highness Princess Mary
at Buckingham Palace on October 30th. The Shaikh read an address to the
King thanking him for the great honour bestowed on him by the reception,