Page 370 - 3 Persian Trade rep KUWAIT 1_Neat

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The British India Steam Navigation Company Labour,
maintain a nominal weekly service from India,
and a fortnightly to India, but during the rear The price of labour was still high as compared
in question this had to be somewhat curtailed with the rates in vogue before the Great War;
owing to the demands made on the company for an unskilled manual labourer earning from li.
trooping by 1 Iraq. Steamer* of the Persian to os. 4*/.; carpenter from 9j. tol2«. a day; mar*
Gulf Steam Navigation and Eastern Steam ons and boat buildcra from 13*. hi. to 1C«.
Xavigat on Companies also called occasionally
mb inducement offered, also two Japanese steamers Domestic animals.
and one Amorican.
Tlic rate of freight was about £3 a ton bv The most valuable domestic animals arc camels,
the British India Steam Navigation and 12-10 of which there are largo numbers, sheep, goats
by the Persian Gulf Steam Navigation and Eas­ and donkeys ; of the latter many of a large
tern Steam Navigation Comjonies' st came is. white breed, originally from Ilasa, arc found in
The number of steamer* and wiling vessels the town; these arc sometimes over thirteen
which entered and cleared the put during the hands in height, and a good one will sometimes
year is given in the Return of shipping of all fetch over £45. There are also some horned
nationalities. cattle and horses.
Transport.
Agriculture.
At the commencement of the year the rates
of transport were about £1 per 12'.’ lbs. to Ziln, Neither Kuwait nor its environs can boast of
Buraidah and * Anaizali, and the same to Shaqrah, any agricultural resources. There are no date
Sudair and Mahmal. During the greater part plantations, no fields and not many kitchen gar­
of the year, however, all trade with Central dens. A few small villages to the couth-east of
Arabia was suspended. Kuwait supply a limited quantify of vegetables
and melons. The chief agricultural centre in the
principality is Jahrah. Tho staple crops are
Pearl Fisheries.
wheat, barley and lucern, but musk melons, water
Kuwait possesses over 7C0 pearl boats; of melons, pumpkins, beans and some other vege­
these, however, many have not been at sea for tables are also grown, and there are some 2,500
several years, as owing to the increased demand date trees. The above crops are mostly irrigated,
for Labour in ‘Iraq.it is now impossible to find but a small amount of wheat and barley is grown
crow's for them. The average number of boats by rainfall alouc. The agriculture of Jahrah might
which visit the banks is now not more than about be considerably increased if more money were sunk
320, and was smaller than usual during the year in it. The next most important agricultural cen­
under review. As stated above the season was tre is the island of Failakah where wheat and
a bad one. barley are grown with some success on the clayey
patches, also melons, lucern and some vegetables.
Sea Fisheries. There are some date trees towards the south of
the island, but they are not in a flourishing con­
The only truly local produce of Kuwait is tbr.t dition, and the agriculture of the island generally
yielded by the harbour fisheries, which are a valu­ is inferior to that of Jahrah. Except in the is­
able asset. Besides float-and-weigbt nets and land of Failakah, less cultivation was done than
lines, traps or tidal weirs, constructed of reed usual, owing to the unsettled state of the country,
hurdles, are also employed; the fish enter them and the village of Jahrah was entirely evacuated
with the flowing-tide and are left behind at the for several weeks in the autumn.
ebb. The majority of the fish caught is consumed
locally, but a small proportion is dried and export­
ed to Basrah and elsewhere. Minerals.
Boat building. The only mineral product worked is gypsum
mortar, which is manufactured by the simple
Only one large and eleven medium sized and process of firing rubbish in broad shallow excava­
■mall boats were built during the rear, of an tions. There is a large gypsiferous tnut on the
aggregate value of £12,667- This figure isnot outskirts of Kuwait town, and it is found in
included in the trade tables. several other j arts of the principality.

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