Page 280 - 3 Persian Trade rep KUWAIT 1_Neat

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Customs Administration.—Tho Shaikh's customs are superintended by an
Arab director, native of Kuwait. The management seems to work very satis­
factorily and no complaints have reached tbo Political Agent during the year
under review of any attempts to recover enhanced duty or any other illegal tax
from British subjects or others. The landing arrangements also rest with tho
Customs Department, and they are as satisfactory as could bo desired, though
the scale of charges appears to be rather high as compared with those at other
Gulf Torts. The high cost of living and the dearness of labour probably account
for this. No complaints or difficulties arising from pilferage between ship and
shore have occurred during tho year.
An import duty not exceeding 4« per cent, ad valorem is levied by tho
Shaikh on all goods except dates, which arc free, and this can ho paid in kind
when there is any dispute about the value. Export duty is leviable ouly in the
case of dates, skins, animals, dinin and fish on which is charged •! per cent.
Customs duties arc collected at Kuwait on all goods which arrive in tho
post and are manifested to there. This is dono independent of whether the
goods arc landed there or not. This practice is not known to exist at any other
Gulf Port.
Local Industries and Labour.—The only important local industries are
pearl fishing, boat building and fishing and the prosperity of the people depends
almost entirely on tbe first mentioned in which about half the people of
Kuwait arc engaged from about June to October. The pearlers can in the off
season take to different avocations, but the majority of them arc so indolent
that they prefer to sit in their Diwaniyahs (sitting-rooms) whero they indulge
in coffee-drinking; The last few seasons have been either * good * or ‘very
good *, but when a season fails the poorer class of people are reduced to such
straits that they arc forced to sell their household articles and to borrow money
from the wealthy pearlers -aho advance it on condition of the borrowers bind­
ing themselves down to them for work during the ensuing season. They thus
become to an extent the slaves of their more wealthy brethren. This indeed
they prefer to do rather than, undertake any work on shore.
It is not surprising therefore that labour and all handicraft are very expen­
sive at Kuwait as will be seen from the following rates :—
Daily wag®.
Bs.
Coolie • S
Head Carpenter • 10 with food.
Assistant M • 8

Carpenter ^ . 6
Head Mason • 10
Assistant Mason 7
Labourer , • 4

Three large and two medium booms, and two Large bellams of an aggregate
value of £1-1,000, were built during the year. This figure is not included in
the trade tables.
Freight, Shipping and Xacigaliofi.—Tho British India Steam Isavigation
Company’s steamers called at Kuwait fortnightly on their voyajg?s from
Bombay during the year. Only one or two steamers of tho Arab Steamers
Company called, from Bombay in 1918-19.
The rate of freight was about £5-12-0 to Bombay and Karachi by tho
British India steamers.
The harbour is well buoyed, and besides the beacon on 'he Ras-al-Art
promontory, there is another on Kubbar Island, somo 30 miles south-east of
Kuwait town, us an aid to navigation.