Page 14 - A Hand book of Arabia Vol 1 (iii) Ch 4,5

102 HEJAZ

port of Jiclclah was 1,055, representing an aggregate of 656,632
tons.
In 1910 the goods exported from .Jiddah were valued at over
£65,000, but in each of the two preceding years they were nearer
£50|000'; they consisted chiefly of sheep-skins, goat-skins, cow-
hides, camel-hides, wool, henna, gum, mother-of-pearl shells, &c.
The great export is specie, amounting, it appears, to considerably
over £1,000,000 a year. No regular stock of coal is maintained,
and not more than a hundred and fifty tons of Welsh coal can be
;
relied on at any time.
As in the case of exports, no official statistics are obtainable on
'
the imports of Jiddah, and hardly any information from local
merchants. In 1910 it seems certain thajt about £90,000 was paid
as import duties, which would give a little less than £1,000,000
worth (invoice value) of dutiable imports. To this total must be
added goods imported from Ottoman ports, on which no fluty is
levied. According to one estimate the total yearly imports have
been placed as high as £1,750,000 ; as exports are trifling in amount, :
the goods imported are for the most part paid for by the money i.
of the pilgrims. ;

Imports consist chiefly of grain, piece-goods, coffee, tea, sugar,
flour, tobacco, spices, timber, carpets, crockery, and hardware.
Under normal conditions the principal imports from the British
Empire are rice and cereals from India, piece-goods from the
United Kingdom (direct, or via Constantinople, Syria, or India),
hardware and metals from India and the United Kingdom. Flour
is nearly all from British India, though a little of superior quality
is imported from Marseilles and Russia. Rice is from British India,
but of wheat only a small proportion is Indian ; nearly all is from
Basra, the freights being light, whereas freights from Egypt are
found prohibitive. After the outbreak of war with Turkey, in
November 1914, grain and foodstuffs (including dhura from Egypt)
continued to be imported, in accordance with the policy of the
British Government, which intended them for the support of the pil­
grims and the Arab population of the Hejaz. The action of the
Turkish authorities in seizing this grain for the use of their troops
led for a time to the stoppage of supplies. But, owing to the
distress among the civil population in the Hejaz, the British Govern­

ment has since permitted the importation of grain and foodstuffs
to be resumed until May 1916, when all sea-trade was once more
stopped, only to be again permitted after the revolt in June.

A share of the trade with Central Arabia is absorbed by Yambo‘,
the natural port for Medina and Nejd, and, although its commerce