Page 257 - 3 Persian Trade rep KUWAIT 1_Neat

REPORT

OX THE

TRADE OP KUWAIT

for the Year 1916*17 (April 1st 1916 to 31st Harcli 1917) by Lieutenant-
Colonel £• E. A. Hamilton.
Introduction__Kuwait is a principality on the j which have contributed towards it arc piece-goods,
Arabian side of the Persian Gulf, 50 mih-s from the ; rice, wheat and sugar under import* and pearls
mouth of the Shatt-al-Arab and 13s miles by sea and specie under exports. Reasons for abnormal
and 90 miles by land from Basrah. The population, increases and decreases in some of the articles
which is estimated to he over 40,000, is larg-r thin f are given below
any other port on the Persian Gulf. Kuwaitis also i
an entrepot of goods for Nejd and some of^ the IMPORTS BY STEAMERS.
important towus of Central Arabia and in a
lesser degree for Mashur, IlinJian, aud other Barley.—AVas imported of the value of £S,7SG.
...
,
-.
neighbouring minor ports on the Persian Oast. Formerly 1 hi< enrae from Persia but owing to a
4
...
Its trade is not therefore ii.tluenced U loval shortage .n t,ut country, rt 1ms th.s veer been
conditions only, but also by climatic and cocaomic . imp u tod fruin mdia,
condiiions of those countries and bv the s-fety Coffee—Shows an increase of £5,5 !G. Large
of the caravan routes to the interior. stocks are stated to be .still on hand.
The trade of the port has, like that of ether Enamel ware.—Shows a decrease of Cl,255
countries, suffered during the last three years, which is due to the difficulty of obtaining the
bat iu 6pite of the continaance of the war, commodity.
shortage of tonnage, blockade, and other r«:rie- Piece-goods.— Show an enormous increase, viz.:
tions it has appreciably recovered during the year £UG,S2u. It is due to th- rise in the price of
under review. This is due to three cause?, r*r.: ; every kind of cloth and ta increased exports to
speculation on the part of the local mercaan.s, ^ certain districts which foraierlv used to draw their
general rise in the price of almost every artble, > ^applies from elsewhere,
and to the safety of the caravan routes which were, Rice.—Increase of *.12,757 is due to the ri^e
with the exception of a few spasmodic raids, in price and aiso to the fact th it a lesser quantity

comparatively safe throughout the a veer and ! was imported in I9I5-1G.
facilitated the transportation of mcrclandisc
under permits to nou-blockaued towns of Central Sugar—The increase of £21,120 is attributed
Arabia and Nejd. to advance in price and increased exports to the
The pearling season, an industry on which 50 , interior.
per cent, of the inhabitants chielly depend, was • Tamarind.—Shows an increase of £+,7u7
also a successful one, though a les-er number of which is due to its export to Basrah and the
boats participated in the fishery owing to th- Persian coast.
shortage of men. The catch was up to the Tea.—The quantity imported was smaller than
average of past years and good prices were also in previous years, the iucrease of £2,124 being
realised. I due to rise in price*.
Total rade.—The imports amounted to £471, I Twist and Yarn.—Lesser quantity
713, and the exports to 1152,53'J, the former j imported last year aad the increase of £1,175 is
shewing an increase of til-12 per cent, and the | attributed to it.
latter of 35*27 per cent, or a total of 54-14 jvr j Wheat and Wheat Flour. — Show an increase
cent, as compared with 1915-10. The chief items ! of 112,559. This is due to the failure of crop*
427 F. & P. D.