Abstract: The file contains correspondence about arrangements for the purchase and shipping of rice imports mainly from African and South American countries, for consumption in Bahrain, Qatar, Dubai, Sharjah and other Trucial Coast shaikhdoms, where rice and other cereals continued to be in scarce supply after the Second World War (1939-1945). The file consists mainly of letters from Bahrain and Dubai merchants, or from the Imperial Bank of Iran and the Eastern Bank Limited on their behalf, also from the local manager of the Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited on behalf of oil company personnel, asking the Political Agent, Bahrain to permit them foreign currency exchange facilities for the purchase of rice from Brazil and other non-Sterling countries. Also included in the file are the Political Agent’s responses, including importation recommendation certificates and letters to their banks, approving the release of sterling for the opening of letters of credit and hard currency payments to exporters.The file also contains the successful bids made to the International Emergency Food Committee (IEFC), Washington by the British Government on behalf of Bahrain, Qatar, Dubai and the other Trucial Coast shaikhdoms, for a share in the 1949 Middle East rice allocations. In relation to this matter there is the correspondence of the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent, Bahrain with the Rulers of Bahrain, Qatar and Dubai and also with British officials at the Ministry of Food and the Foreign Office in London. In this correspondence, they discuss reducing existing wheat quota imports for Bahrain, Qatar and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms in favour of increased rice quota imports, the arrangements for the local storage and stock management of the IEFC allocated Egyptian rice by British Ministry of Food officials in Cairo, the appointment of approved purchasing and shipping agents by the Bahrain and Dubai authorities to act for them and for their merchants with regard to orders, payments and deliveries of the IEFC allocated Egyptian quota rice by sea to Bahrain, Qatar and Dubai.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 360; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence about British efforts to obtain supplies of rice for local consumption in the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms, particularly Bahrain, Qatar and the shaikhdoms of the Trucial Coast, in the years after the Second World War (1939-1945). British and Bahrain Government officials disseminate details about offers of rice from the Government of Pakistan and also the allocation of Egyptian quota import rice from British Ministry of Food rice stores in Egypt. There is also extensive correspondence between the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Political Officer for Qatar at Doha, about a prolonged dispute between Qatari and Bahraini merchants over the delayed transhipment of Egyptian quota import rice for Qatar, which had been landed at Bahrain.The main correspondents are the Political Agent and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, both Bahrain; the Political Officers for Qatar and the Trucial Coast; the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain and the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain. The file also contains copy correspondence between Foreign Office and Ministry of Food officials in London about the latter’s decision to no longer procure rice from the Egyptian authorities for allocation to the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms after 1950, given the proposed winding up of the International Emergency Food Committee (IEFC) allocation system at the end of 1950.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 97; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-95; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file begins with a letter in 1944 from the Under Secretary to the Government of India, External Affairs Department, New Delhi to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, refusing the latter’s request for an increase in the amount of coffee made available for export from India to Bahrain, due to heavy internal demand. The request had been made as a result of discussions by merchants in Bahrain about an increase in Saudi Arabia’s coffee quota. Most of the remaining correspondence dates from 1945 and concerns the refusal of the Iranian Customs authorities to permit an Aden merchant to reship coffee consignments originally landed at Bushire, to Bahrain, Basra or back to Aden, to avoid financial loss. The file also includes a list of the names and addresses of Bahrain importers of Indian coffee and spices, compiled by the Bahrain Customs, in response to a request from an Indian exporter. The file ends with a letter from the Political Agent, Bahrain to the branch manager of the Imperial Bank of Iran, Bahrain, authorising the opening of foreign exchange credit facilities in favour of a Singapore exporter who had agreed the sale and shipment of a consignment of coffee to a Bahrain merchant.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 33; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-29; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence about a British Ministry of Food scheme in 1944 for ensuring a controlled supply of Iraqi dates at reasonable prices to the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms during the Second World War (1939-1945), because local date crops were insufficient and imported dates were subject to wartime quota arrangements. Included in the file is a comprehensive memorandum written by the British Ministry of Food Dried Fruits Division in Wales in 1944, describing in detail the Ministry’s wartime scheme for the central purchase and coordinated distribution of Iraqi dates throughout the Middle East, India and Africa, following the short Iraqi date crop of 1942. There is also correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire and the India Office in London in 1944, about the merits of the British governmental central purchasing scheme for Iraqi dates, for keeping prices down, preventing wartime profiteering, ensuring fair distribution and discouraging the sale of smuggled Iraqi (and Persian) dates in Persian Gulf ports. These concerns are discussed repeatedly in correspondence throughout the file.In 1944, the Political Agent, Bahrain discusses in detail with the Political Resident and other British officials in Sharjah, as well as the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain, why the Sheikhs of Bahrain, Qatar and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms of Dubai and Sharjah prefer to use their own commercial agents and local merchants for the procurement of their respective allocations of quota imports of Iraqi dates, rather than as hitherto, the British company Andrew Weir of Basra (appointed Crown purchasing agents in the Middle East). From May 1945 onwards, their official discussions focus on gathering information about the annual requirements for dates in the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms in the current year, as well as the total number and quantity of their current date exports and imports, in preparation for the gradual relaxation of Government of India wartime trade restrictions on the export and import of dates by Bahrain and the other Persian Gulf shaikhdoms under British protection, with Iraq, Saudi Arabia and India.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 94; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-93; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence about: the allocation of import quotas of Indian pulses for Bahrain, Qatar and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms in 1947; the arrangements of Bahrain and Dubai importing merchants with their exporters in Karachi, regarding shipments; and the Government of India’s subsequent decision to cancel the agreed export quotas, due to shortages of pulses for local consumption in India. The main correspondents are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent, both Bahrain; the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain; the Political Officer for the Trucial Coast, Sharjah and Government of India officials in the Department of External Affairs, New Delhi. Included in the file is a list of the names and addresses of Bahrain importers and Karachi exporters of Indian pulses to the Persian Gulf countries, in 1947.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 29; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-28; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence mainly about the export of bran from Punjab, by sea from Karachi to Bahrain and the Trucial Coast ports of Dubai and Sharjah, during and after the Second World War (1939-1945), when essential animal feed such as bran was in short supply and subject to Government of India export restrictions and import quota arrangements in the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms under British protection. The correspondence is mainly between the Political Agent for Bahrain, the Director of Customs and Port Officer for the Government of Bahrain, and officials in the Government of India External Affairs Department, New Delhi. They discuss minimum annual requirements for the local consumption of bran in Bahrain and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms; the quarterly and half-yearly distributions (in tons) of the bran quota among approved merchants in Bahrain, Dubai and Sharjah; the regular quota reductions imposed by the Government of India Food Department owing to acute shortages in India and the unavailability of a surplus for export and Government of India revised export control procedures. The file also contains merchants’ correspondence, from importers in Bahrain and their export agents and shippers in Karachi, complaining about the refusal of the Export Trade Controller in Karachi and other Government of India controlling authorities, to grant export licences and permits. Included in the file are numerous lists containing the names of all approved importers of Indian quota bran in Bahrain, Dubai and Sharjah, as well as the names and addresses of their export agents and shippers in Karachi.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 141; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-126; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence mainly about the importation of surplus tamarind from India to Bahrain and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms during the Second World War (1939-1945), when this fruit was subject to Government of India export licensing restrictions and import quotas in Persian Gulf countries under British protection. The correspondence is mainly between the Political Agent, Bahrain and other British officials in India and the Persian Gulf, as well as with the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain (acting also in his dual capacity as Food Controller for the Government of Bahrain). These officials discuss the requirements for local consumption of tamarind in Bahrain and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms in relation to their annual import quotas for 1944-1945 determined by the Government of India, as well as the withdrawal of Indian export controls for this fruit after the war, as announced in circular letters from both the Department of Commerce and the Department of Food, New Delhi, in November 1945. The file also contains a small amount of merchants’ correspondence, in connection with the refusal of the Export Trade Controller in Karachi to grant a licence to a local exporter to ship sanctioned Indian quota tamarind to an importer in Bahrain, in 1945. Also included in the file are several widely circulated lists, originating from the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain; the British Residency Agent, Sharjah and the Export Trade Controllers in Karachi and Madras. These lists provide the names and addresses of licensed Indian exporters and shippers in Karachi and Calicut [Kozhikode], approved merchants in Bahrain, Dubai, Sharjah and other Persian Gulf ports, together with the quantity (in tons) of consignments of Indian tamarind and Punjabi pulses the latter had been permitted to import under quota arrangements, 1944-1945.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 58; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-53; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. An additional mixed foliation/pagination sequence is also present in parallel between ff 54-57; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side (where foliated) and the top right corner of the recto side and top left corner of the verso side (where paginated) of each folio.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence about the supply of various essential commodities from India, by sea from Bombay and Karachi to Bahrain and the Trucial Coast ports of Dubai and Sharjah for local consumption, during the Second World War (1939-1945). Several commodities are mentioned including spices, nuts, oils, cotton and leather goods, hosiery, soap, matches and cement. These goods were in short supply due to wartime conditions and subject to Government of India export restrictions and import quota arrangements in the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms under British protection. The main correspondents are the Political Agent for Bahrain, the Director of Customs and Port Officer for the Government of Bahrain, the Export Trade Controllers (also referred to as Foreign Trade Controllers) in Karachi and Bombay, as well as other Government of India officials, mainly in the External Affairs Department, New Delhi. They discuss the allotment of Government of India surplus quota goods among merchants in Bahrain, Dubai and Sharjah and exchange distribution lists that contain the names of all approved importers (local merchants), together with the names of their Indian exporters or shippers in Bombay and Karachi, and the type and quantity of the controlled commodity allotted to them. In addition, there are detailed submissions from the Political Agents for Bahrain, Kuwait and Muscat to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, expressing concerns about new Government of India instructions for improving the coordination of export control procedures in India with import control procedures in the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms, in particular, that Export Trade Controllers in Indian ports only grant export licenses and permits to Indian exporters and shippers who appear on their established shippers lists. The file also contains merchants’ correspondence, from several importers in Bahrain and their nominated export agents or shippers in Karachi and Bombay, complaining to the Political Agent for Bahrain, about the refusal of the Export Trade Controllers in Indian ports to grant them export licences and permits.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 242; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-217 and between ff 218-241; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence about the supply of foodstuffs, cotton and leather goods, soap and other manufactured articles, from India to Bahrain and the Trucial Coast ports of Dubai and Sharjah for local consumption, under Government of India wartime export licensing restrictions and import quota arrangements that remained in force after the Second World War (1939-1945). The main correspondents are the Political Agent for Bahrain, the Director of Customs and Port Officer for Bahrain, and the Government of India Export Trade Controllers in Bombay and Karachi. These officials discuss the allotment of Government of India surplus quota goods among merchants in Bahrain, Dubai and Sharjah and exchange distribution lists containing the names of approved importers (local merchants) and their Indian exporters or shippers in Bombay and Karachi, as well as the nature and quantity of their consignments. There are also several letters, mainly from local merchants to the Political Agent in Bahrain, asking him to grant them import licences, so that their exporters and shippers in Bombay and Karachi may apply to the Export Trade Controller in their home port for a Government of India export licence. In response to several trade enquiries from the Indian Government Trade Commissioner for the Near and Middle East in Alexandria, the Political Agent in Bahrain provides him with lists of Bahrain merchants interested in importing sports goods, paints and varnishes from India. The file also contains several Government of India circular letters issued by the Chief Controller of Exports, New Delhi to all regional Export Trade Controllers in India, notifying them about the relaxation of export controls on certain textiles, metals, manufactured articles and other goods.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 151; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-141; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence about the supply of matches from India to Bahrain, Qatar and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms, for local consumption, under Government of India export licensing controls and import quotas imposed during and after the Second World War (1939-1945), when matches and other essential commodities were scarce. British and Bahrain officials discuss the local distribution of the 1944 and 1945 quotas among local Bahrain merchants, including the grant of permits and import licences. There is also a small amount of correspondence with Bahrain merchants and importers of matches, who were refused Government of India export licences for their consignments, by the Export Trade Controller in Bombay. Included in the file is an exchange of letters with the Shaikh of Qatar about the illegal re-export of Government of India quota matches to Iraq and Persia (Iran).There are several lists showing the names of approved Bahrain importers and Bombay exporters of quota matches, the names and addresses of Government of India accredited match factories in Bombay, and the total number of imports of matches from countries other than India between 1937 and 1939. There are also several Government of India circular letters, from both the Commerce Department and the Office of the Chief Controller of Exports to the Export Trade Controller in Bombay, describing export licensing procedures and listing the quantities of matches that Indian factories are permitted to export to designated countries in Africa and the Middle East.The main correspondents are the Political Agent for Bahrain, the Director of Customs and Port Officer for Bahrain, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, the Under Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Commerce and the Chief Controller of Exports, both at New Delhi.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 56; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-31; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence regarding tobacco quotas imported from India, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America to Bahrain, Kuwait, Trucial Coast, Muscat, and Gwadur [Gwadar]. The correspondence is mainly about fixing quota distributions between manufacturers. It also discusses the quality and the price of the tobacco. The correspondence is mostly between the Political Agent in Bahrain, the Political Resident in Bushire, the Director of Customs in Bahrain, the Under Secretary to the Government of India in the External Affairs Department, New Delhi and the India Office in London.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 23; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-19; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file comprises copies of the Tariff Schedules produced by the Commercial Intelligence Department, India for January to December 1924, and January to December 1925.The schedules show the rates of Customs duties levied on goods imported into, and exported from British India from January 1924 to December 1925.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 30; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the file contains two original printed paginated sequences.