Page 126 - PERSIAN 9 1941_1947

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biaine the military security situation and make appropriate
^commendations.^ Britigh motorised column travelled to Bushire
escorted a convoy of trucks from Bushire to the north driven by
B rican personnel.
gONOMIjL ^ pQor harvest due to lack of rain, and the general insecurity
lithe province resulted in a severe shortage of grain. This v/as to
loos extent set off by imports of wheat from India, Canada and the
lilted States of America. Conditions in the Southern part of Pars
fhere crops are entirely dependent on rain were lamentable and many
cople perished from starvation.
The liberty accorded to merchants ana speculators to import
eiand sugar from India and the inability of the Government effective}
p control wholesale and retail prices+of these and other home products,
tie quite unnecessarily high. By the end of the year tea was'
Stalling at Rials 120 (19/-) per 500 gramme packet, and sugar at
Uala 30 per kilo.
The restriction In the latter part of the year on imports
led inevitably to hoarding
}f piece goods, woollen goods, drugs etc ■ t
If existing stocks and their release only at rapidly increasing prices,
i linilarly the retail prices of home made products rose in sympathy
rlth the increase in the general cost of living and by the end of
ihe year manufactured goods from the mills at Bushire and Isfahan
ind of Shiraz itself reached unprecedented heights.
BADE,
Throughout the year 1342 market conditions in Shiraz shov/ed
jreat activity principally in the import business, in fact greater
Ihan at any time since the outbreak of hostilities. .The chief reason
ni due to the depleted stocks of merchandise and the abundance of
foreign exchange available for imports. Towards the close of the
fear imports shoy/ed a falling off due to restrictions imposed by
foreign countries on exports and the lack of shipping facilities.
Practically all imported goods came from India, the nature
If the goods being tea, piece goods, sugar, coffee, spices, and yarn.
The export of merchandise to foreign countries was on a
gum
fery limited scale, the chief items being, lambskins to U.S.A • t
jragacanth tc England, and carpets to Iraq. During the second half
if 1942 the export of lambskins was negligible.
During the year the following goods, which were the principal
[■ports arrived in Shiraz:-
15,000 sacks sugar (approximately).
7.500 chests tea. (approximately).
3,000 bales piece goods (India) (approximately).
6.500 bales piece goods (Etemadieh Bushire) (Approximately).
1.500 bales piece goods (Isfahan and Yezd). (Approximately).
It the close of the year the following goods were reported to be on
Mnd:-
3,000 sacks sugar, (approximately
L,§00 chests tea. (approximately. :
oQO bales piece goods (Indian),( approximately).
400 bales piece goods (Bushire)(approximately).
r 250 bales piece goods (Isfahan and YezcO (approximately).
Other good3 of le.’fer importance which arrived were:- spices, coffee,
lindow glass, and paper, all from India.
f
>• It is said that 140,000 pairs of lambskins y/ere despatched
jto America of which 120,000 are reported to have reached destination.
h The figures for gum tragacanth exported to London are not
irailable but the qnantity was probably less than 100 tons.
: During the latter ^art of the year the carpet market showed
jfreater activity and moderate quantities were despatched to Tehran
and Iraq.
} Prices during the year fluctuated v/idely but on the whole
where was a more or less continued upward trend and it might be said
flhat, in general, prices latterly got out of control.
The following comparison of prices may be of interest:-
January 1942. Dec ember 1942.
faa Rials 36- per packet of 500 grammes, Rials 73-
lugar Rials 1,350 per sack. Rials 3,700-
Large.........