Page 250 - PERSIAN 4 1899_1905

08 ADMINISTRATION REPORT ON THE PERSIAN GOLF POLITICAL

Part VI.—TRAD1 REPORT OP BANDAR ABBAS POR TIIE
YEAR 1900.
General
remarks. The year under rcnort has seen a very notable falling off in the trado of
tui9 port, both ns regards its exports and its imports.
A considerable falling off in trado was anticipated this year, but it was
not expected that the tigures of the returns would show suoh a marked
decrease in comparison with those of former years as is actually the case, the
totals of exports aud imports being respectively only 50 per cent, and 62 per
cent, of those for the previous year.
The special causes which have operated to produce this diminution
were:—
(а) The change of administration and of system in the Customs Depart­
ment.
(б) The growing popularity of the route to Quetta via Nushki.
(c) The insecurity of the main °aravan routes from Bandar Abbas to
Yezd aud Kerman.
(d) The embargo upon cereals.
(e) The heavy rates that obtained during part of the year for transport
to Yezd and Kerman.
To take these heads seriatim:—
(а) Customs.—The administration of the Customs was taken over by
Belgian officials after " Nauroz,*’ - e.% towards the end of March. This innova­
tion was viewed with great disfavour by the native merchants of the Gulf ports
and such of the inland towns as import through these ports. Attempts were
made to have the new administration subverted, on the failure of which recourse
was had to a system of boycotting, with the result that for four months trade
was at a standstill and for six months but few consignments were cleared. By
. this time the merchants, seeing that the Government was determined to support
the new administration, resigned themselves to the inevitable, and trade resumed
its ordinary course. The Customs Department now began to rapidly make up its
lost ground; but it was not to be expected that all of this could'be recovered
in the three or four months that remained to the end of the year. It is calcu­
lated that this period of stagnation was responsible for a falling off of at least
25 per cent, in the total trade. This may possibly he in a great measure
recovered in the ensuing year, as the merchants have now become used and
appear to be reconciled to the new system.
(б) and (c) The Nushki Trade-route and the Bandar Abbas-Yezd and
Kerman Road.—These two points are so intimately connected chat they may be
taken together. There is no doubt that the growing popularity of the trade
route vtd Nushki to Quetta is telling every year more adversely upon the trade
of this port. The unrest and uncertainty prevailing for some months after the
handing over of the Customs to Belgian administration will this year have
undoubtedly operated to divert a considerable stream of traffic from the Bandar
Abbas to the Quetta outlet; and, although Bandar Abbas may hope to regain
next year some of the trade thus lost, it is a question whether it will be
possible to regain it entirely. As an example, it may be mentioned that the
Birjand and 8ei6tan caravans to this port, the former averaging yearly 4,600
and the latter 3,000 camels, have this year deserted Bandar Abbas entirely for
the first lime, and it will probably be found that a very considerable P0™10?,®*
the trade they represent has gone to Quetta by the new trade-route. Ane
absence of these caravans alone bas bad a marked effect upon the totals of tne
exports from this port, especially that of Birjand, which used to bring
quantities of saffron, the most valuable of the Bandar Abbas exports, l&c
absence of the camels forming these important caravans has also lessened t
amount of transport available for the interior durug the year, and thus operated
unfavourably upon the rates for carriage.