Page 13 - 3 Persian Trade rep KUWAIT 1_Neat

[Confidential.]
No. 2yS. dated* Koweit, the 7th (received 20th) May 19°7*
From—Major S. G. Knox, I.A., Political Agent, Koweit,
To—The Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department, Simla.
I have the honour to submit, herewith, the Trade Report, for Koweit, for
the year 1906-07 together with the returns showing the statistics of trade for
the same period.
Trade Report for Koz'cit, 1006-07.
The total value of the trade for the year amounts to Rs. 81,19,14933
against Rs. 59,73,251 of the previous year, showing an increase of Rs. 21,45,898.
This amount represents an increase of Rs. 16,78,244 on the side of imports
and Rs. 4,67,654 on the side of exports.
As in the case of last year, it must be remembered that, as many of our
goods, both imports and exports are valued in dollars and the value then convert­
ed to rupees, much of the increase in trade is not due to increased volume, but
to the enhanced value of the dollar, which during 1905-06 ranged from Rs. 133
to 152 per 100 dollars and this year ranged from Rs. 151*75 at the beginning
of the year to Rs. 190 in the end of October per 100 dollars and the average
rate for the year was Rs. 165 to 100 dollars.
As a concrete example of this, though the quantity of rice imported in 1905-
c6 by British India steamer was 5:5 tons more than in 1906-07 the value for
1906-07 exceeds that for 1905-06 by Rs. 54,030. The reason for this is partly
increased cost in India, but is also due to a bag of rice being valued at its dollar
cost in Koweit.
The imports exceed the exports by Rs 48,75.197. The total value of im­
ports is Rs. 64,97,173, of which goods to the value of Rs. 30,21,248 appear on
the British India steamer’s manifest and may be relied on, while the balance
amounting to the large sum of Rs. 34,75,925 is the best estimate that can be
made of the goods earned by country sailing boats.
The most disturbing feature of this portion of the returns is that, while the
British India steamer carried imports show the very moderate increase of
Rs. 2,52,194 worth of goods, the country sailing boats show the remarkable
increase of Rs. 14,26,050. The reason for this is not far to seek. The country
sailing boats this year carried to Koweit 13 lakhs worth of arms and ammunition.
In the last year, 1905-06, no arms nor ammunition appear in the returns and,
though it is improbable that none were carried, still the imports by country sail­
ing boats were inconsiderable in comparison with the quantity carried by the
British India steamers.
_ This year, the British India steamers carried Rs. 2,35,10s less of this trade than
during 1905-06. in spite of the fact that the price of rifles was higher and that the
inflated dollar rules these prices. The well known dislike, therefore, of the British
authorities, to this traffic, while it has had no effect in checking the import of arms
and ammunition, has had the very unfortunate result of losing to a British Com­
pany the freight on 13 lakhs worth of goods. If wc could eliminate the arms entries
from the trade returns altogether, we should find that while the country sailing
boats traffic has increased by Rs. 1,26,050, the British India steamers show an
increase of Rs. 4,87,302, nearly 25 per cent, of the total value of imports and
quite satisfactory.
Turning to other entries, we find that, under the British India manifest, there
t ^ a large increase in American piece-goods. In the course of the year, the
trade has increased to four times last year’s volume and is now within appreciable
distance of British piece-goods, while Manchester and Indian goods show only a
very moderate increase over last year’s imports. A local merchant informs me
tnat this cloth goes to the Bedouins and El Kasim and that, so far, the American
commodity has the preference for the following reasons :—
The cotton is better and although the bales, when new, weigh about the same
fnh?;1- I- 1 Ind,an K00(ls contam a large quantity of starch and,after washing, the
Iabnc is lighter and less durable. s
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