Page 223 - 5 Persian Trade rep BUSHIRE I_Neat

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According fo the figures supplied by the Customs year some fever and smoll-pox were experienced
Administration tlio total triulo bcn« filing tho and the death-rate vraa for tho wholo jear 965, or
United Kingdom and India has decreased by a about 386 j or thousand of tho total estimated
far liter 2 per cent.:— population. Of these deaths more than one-half
Per cent. were children. Somo ten days after completion of
the period under rovietr tho town bccamo infected
l?0l 55
1903 C3 with plague, and quarantine waa enforced against
tho port for tho space of three months and throo
1903 19 days.
1904 56 The Money Market.—Sterling exchange fluctuated
1905 69 between 5t>;| and 54} Krans to tho £ (demand
190C-O7 C2 drafts), the average rate for the year being 56'15.
1907*08 77 Rupco cxchango varied in a similar degree
1908 09 70 between 390} Krans =100 rupees and 365, whh an
average of 37687. Rupees cash have been
1909-10 G8
cxtemcly scarce and at times it was almost
Tho general diminution of imports was most impossible to bay them in the baza its. Tho chief
noticeable in candles, coal and piece-goods: of reason for this was tho failure of the 1909 harvest,
experts in specie, opinm, wool and tobacco. The which led to tho imposition of an embargo on the
hopeless state of the road whs mainly rosponrible export of grain : this prevented Arabi and others
for ihc alienee of pitco-roods, opium and tobacco. c >ming to the district for the pnrehnse of wheat and
With regard to the efieot of this on, for instance, barley as in former years, for which they would bring
piccc-goois pnssing through Dusbire and destined rupees exchanging tli2m in Busliire for Krans.
for the interior, the following figures supplied by Local credit has been fairly well maintained
the local managers of two well-known British firms owing in great measure to the brisk trado in Gam
largely interested in the hade may throw further Tragacamh, Opium and Almonds. Bankruptcies
jig at. Tee cno firm wa< compelled to divert 1,037 have been four iu number.
hales in 1S08-09 and 730 package* in 1909 10
from Bsibire to Ahwaz or the Baghdad route, Freights.—Freights for general cargo by British
iadipcndet.tly of goods shipped direct from England lines rose about April 190? fiom 15s. to £1 per ton,
to Ahwaz io>tena of to Bn-hire as usun1, in spiie of • which latter figure they ralcd steadily until
their declared determination to adhere to the Bushire j 19i0- F.roib'bt5 for °Pium \ dircct
route at a'1 hazards The second firm forwarded in to Loudon remained ns before at 20s. per chest,
1905-09 nu Busliire 3,32” bales and 435 eases of through booking to Hongkong Rs. 25 per case of
Buudries:in 19' 9-10. 9C9 bales and S7 cafes only, MOlbs.
no piece-goods whatever going forward to Ispahan The following table gives a comparison of rates
or Tehran daring the latter year; instead, 1,301 from the past six years:—
bales were diverted to Ahwaz from Bushire and
163 from England direct (in 1903-09 none of the £ s. <L £ ». d.
firms’ gooes had taken the Lynch tontc). 1904 1 7 6 to 1 10 0
The 1910 11 harvest ha», sb before hinted, been 1905 99 1 10 O
a complete success and if coupled with renewed 1906- 07 ] 10 0 10 0
security and credit would doubtless insure a more 1907- 08 10 0 9f 0 16 0
prosperous new year. 190S-09 0 15 0 m 0 17 6
Weather.— The rainfall gaugod 14*98 inches, the 99
highest known since the well-remembered year 1*09-10 0 17 6 m 10 0
1895, when 22 inches fell durirg the brief rainy
season. Needless to say, any advaufages derived Freights to Hamburg per German steamer rose
from this natural phccomei on have been dne to from a minimum of ]2x. (id. to 25s. per ton (though a
Providence alone, man (with a few exceptions) diffeient scale is used).
contenting himself with drinkiog the water which General rates to India continued steady at Rs. 10
for several weeks converted the island of Bnshire a ton as before. Dates averaged Rs. 12 by slow
into a fresh water lake, aod carefully refraining mail and Rs. 14 by fast mail steamer.
from the simplest irrigation or storage operations. The following special rates to India were
Rainfall in inches :—
quoted :—
1907-08. 1908-09. 1909-10.
Skins per ton • Ra. 26
6-47 767 14-98
Cotton per bale . Rs. 2 to 2-8
Public Health.—As a rule Busbire is, considering Wool n n • Re. 6
its sub-tropical clixm.te, a pecnliaily healthy place Rosewater per carboy . • 8 annas (5£)
for native*, especially in tbc summer months. This •I N Rs. 1