IOR/R/15/2/958

The file discusses the decision by Shaikh Isa [ʻIsá ibn ʻAlī Āl Khalīfah] in April 1916 to raise the customs duty on the transhipment of goods through Bahrain, as wartime conditions had resulted in a difficult financial situation for Bahrain.

This decision was prompted by a drop in the number of steamers calling at Bahrain and a subsequent rise in the cost of food and other goods which many feared could lead to famine. Included in the file is a petition from a group of Arab merchants to Shaikh Isa asking him to do everything in his power to get more steamers to call at Bahrain to ease the situation.

Also included in the file is correspondence with the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Chief Political Officer at Basrah [Basra] regarding a complaint from Bin Saud (‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd), Ruler of Najd over the Shaikh of Bahrain's decision to increase transhipment charges. The complaint is dismissed as the political authorities concluded that Shaikh Isa had been well within his rights to increase the customs duty.

Other matters discussed in the file include correspondence with F T Maharaj, Director of Customs at Bahrain regarding proposals for the construction of a new pier at Bahrain, and export licences from Bombay for blasting powder and fuses that would be required in the construction work.