AMAZING KUWAIT
Voskuil
W OR~.D attention is focussing on a
little tract of desert land on the
Arabian Peninsula near the head of the
Persian Gulf--the Sheikdom of Kuwait.
The coup d’etat in Iraq has emphasized
the importanceof this principality, uni-
que among the Arab States.
The British have showntheir concern
by a build up of army, air, and naval
forces in the area. Manyof the people in
Kuwait came from Iraq.
The ruler of this tiny British pro-
tectorate is 63-year-old Sheik Abdullalx
Assalem As-Sabah, who, since the Iraq
revolution, has had meetings xvith Presi-
dent Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, and
with both Shukri al-Kuxvathy, former
president of Syria, and Lieutenant Colo-
nel Abdel HamidSerrai, Syrian Interior
Minister. He has said he will use more
Egyptian teachers in Kuwait schools.
At the time this is ~vritten, Sheik Ab-
dullah is not kno~vn to have made any
moveto join either with Iraq or xvith
the UAR,but how long he can continue
in his isolation remains a question. A
spokesmanfor the British political office
said, "All is quiet on the Gulf."
Kmvait is only 6,000 square miles in
area, with a population near 200,000, and
with $375,000,000national income.Its per
capita income of $1,875 per year is the
highest in the world. Kuwait oil produc-
tion reached a record output of 1,393,000
barrels daily in March, 1958.
Of the oil revenue (in 1957, it was
$357,000,000)one third is spent on social
improvements--schools, medical services,
roads, wages and housing; one third is
spent on maintaining tile "living" of the
Sheik and his household, and one third
is invested by the Sheik in his own
personal savings, principally in Eng-
land, with the advice of the British
Treasury.
PRODUCED 2003 BY UNZ.ORG
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by Walter H.
Discoveries of fantastically large oil
reserves have catapulted this little
Connecticut-sized sheikdomof flat sand
into fan~e as the possessor o~ the world’s
largest oil field. First to be discovered
~vas the now famous Burgan field,
followed by the smaller Magwafield.
Recently another discovery at Raudha-
rain (meaning Txvin Gardens) gives
promise of being even large~ 7 than
Burgan. Together, these fields mean a
tremendous production l~tential. All
are close to tidewater. Oil is movedby
short pipeline from field to waiting
tankers to loading jetty. Thejetty serving
the Burgan oil field can moveupwardto
1,500,000 barrels daily. A newly con-
structed jetty to serve the northern field
will, when completed, accommodate
three 100,000-ton tankers and can haudle
1,000,000 barrels daily. Combined,these
loading jetties will have a daily capacity
of 2,500,000barrels.
Unlike Iraq to the nortl~a, which has
only pipeline outlets through Syria
and Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia, which
depends, in part, on pipeline outlets
through these same countries, Kuwait
ships by oil tanker only; its outlet is not
limited to pipeline carrying capacity. If
the oil-carrying tankers cannot go
through the Suez Canal, they can go
around the Cape of Good Hope, or
eastxvard through the Indiau Ocean.
Kuwaitis still feudal. It has no news-
papers, no magazines, no radio station,
no means for communicating ideas. As
education increases, so xvill desire for
Arab Nationalism, stimulated ~vithin
Kuwait but also from the outside. Ku-
wait town, is rising like a vast metro-
politan city. Stores and shops in Kuwait
town look as modern as arty American
city. Traffic jams doxvntownlook like
Times Square on Saturday night.
 GOVERNMENTAL ECONOMY
BEGINS
AT HOME

by tluel McDanieI hearing in both papers. Prior to the

date of the hearing, the city council,
operating under a city manager
~’1~ OVERN.XIENTAL economyand tax- form of government, had an-
~J’savings, like charity, should-- nounced that it would be necessary
and can--begin at home. The indif- to raise taxes in order to meet the
ference of the average citizen to- needs of the rapidly-expanding
ward the actions of his city govern- community. There followed an au-
ment is appalling and a little dible undercurrent of grumbling:
frightening. Indifference is an open "Why do they need more money?
invitation to political skulduggery, They’re doing practically nothing
and sooner or later citizens elect a with what they have ..."
slate of city officials whoeagerly ac- During most of the day preced-
cept that invitation. ing the evening budget hearing, I
As a political novice, I was disap- fretted over the proposed budget
pointed and frightened when I re- and just how to explain the vari-
alized, gradually, that the average ous budgetary items so that citizens
citizen thinks of his city govern- would understand the necessity of
ment and what it is doing only in the budget and the tax increase to
terms of clogged sewers or a hole provide moneyfor it.
in the street in front of his home. I wentto the city hall in the after-
Soon after I was elected mayor of noon, to make certain there would
Port Lavaca, Texas, a community be ample seating facilities for the
of 12,500 population, we held our citizens. WhenI saw that there
annual budget hearing. It was well- were only 12 chairs arranged for
publicized in the two local weekly visitors, I berated Old Pedro, a fix-
papers and, according to law, the ture around the city hall ~vho bore
city published legal notices of the with pride the title of custodian.
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