Page 112 - 5 Persian Trade rep BUSHIRE I_Neat

12 BUS1IIRE.

£
1905 5,099
1900-07 ... 3,070
1907-08 ... 8,304

For the next few years the months of religious mourning in
Persia—Muharram and Safar—when black or dark-coloured gar­
ments arc worn l*y all who can afford it, will fall during the season
of cold weather (Muharram 1, 1327, will be January 27, 1909), and
though the demand for blue and white prints, black discharge
jeans and other dark-coloured tissues of light weight will no doubt
be fair, the wearing of heavier stuffs in the style of dyed Italians,
mcrinps and black twills is probable by those able to afford it.
The Muharram. business in piece-goods is very important, and
so long as the background of the goods is black a little figuring does
not matter. There is a tendency for black twills to go into.black
Italians and black Italians into black alpacas, the last is a recent
introduction from Baghdad and said to be well received here. Of
black Italians there is now a larg<* stock on hand. Asteri prints,
which have always been worn for linings, are being replaced by
dyed Italians to a certain extent. On the littoral gauze is taktu
up much more than bobbin nets. Dubahrs an* not selling as well
as in previous Yvars; the red and purple kinds are only used by
women and principally in the southern regions. They arc generally
ordered out in the proportion of three of purple to one of red;
chocolate dubahrs arc another Muharram article.
A great deal of 1906-07 stock of Manchester Mexicans was
unsold: but in the summer of 1907 a Bombay firm put on the market
a 48 yards brand of good quality from the Bombay mills, which
undersold the Manchester goods of the same class by as much as
3s. per 96 yards, ar.d the Manchester article has lost favour by
comparison. Mexicans are veiy much cheaper than formerly.
In. October, 1907, heavy consignments of mulls and prints by
merchants who were cutting prices spoilt the market in these lints.
Mulls dyed as “ kasawari ” are extensively used for shirts in
the south between Bushire and Karerun ; they go up country in
their white state, but- are too thin for much wear there, and nainsooks
are said to be preferred. A new fashion has sprung up for fancy
crimps, and women are reported to be wearing them in the Gulf
region instead of dubalirs. Other new trials on the market were:—
Printed metal satteens, which aie reported to have been well-liked
in Shiraz, and " ninkulaks,” an import from Bombay, made, it
is said, with Karachi cotton, sent to Manchester to be made up and
extensively tried in the Arab ports of the Gulf. It seems to have
failed to attract purchasers at Bushire.
No exact information can be given as to the amount of bales
reaching Shiraz, but during the December quarter, 1907, about
5,000 bales, half of which were in transit for Isfahan and the north,
were reported to have been received. During the same period