TALE OF A CITY 28 As for the Sharjah Post Office mentioned earlier, the British India Government was informed in early summer 1933 to employ a suitable postmaster for the Sharjah office in return for a 30-Rupee salary a month. If this were to fail, then it would be very difficult to make arrangements to have a Post Office on Sharjah.13 A year later, in summer 1934, this suitable person was a clerk in the Mesopotamia Persia Corporation Limited in Dubai and Sharjah. The company approved one of its employees to be the Post Master of the Sharjah post Office. However, a suitable housing had not been found at the time. A few weeks later, Imperial Airways Director wrote to the Secretary’s Office, and to the General Post Office, London, saying: “We here, however, would prefer that a Post Office were established for the handling of Air Mail traffic rather than that mail be accepted at Sharjah as Freight. I suggest you therefore, reply to the Indian Posts and Telegraphs, recommending that a small Post Office be opened under the control of our Station Superintendent and that an Indian clerk be posted to run it. I think you could tell the Indian Posts and Telegraphs that if they provided a clerk our Station Superintendent would take on the responsibility of supervision (for the initial stages at any rate) for only a nominal remuneration.” 14 Owing to the delay for various reasons in opening Sharjah Post Office, CaptainR.N., SeniorNaval Officer in the PersianGulf, wrote the following letter dated 23rd October, l934 to the General Post Office, London, on behalf of 450 officers and men serving in the Gulf. The letter stated: “Dear Sir, I hope you will not mind if I encroach on your time in order to represent a matter which greatly affects the Naval personnel serving in the Persian Gulf. This station is notably the worst from the point of view of climate and general facilities. Consequently, mails are a very important item in our lives. Under existing air mail 13 Ibid., L.P.&S/12/4120, P.Z.5893/1934, P.Z.4875/1934. 14 L.P.&S/12/4120, P.Z.4875/1934.
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