Page 224 - 5 Persian Trade rep BUSHIRE I_Neat

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British Chamber of Commerce.—'This body, formed ion, which is already nearly 100 percent, in the raw*
in l!*08, has held monthly meeting during the of the cheaper Indira wrti. Tho proposal to incroiM
past year, with the exception of tho hot reason, tho rate for Lamsch l.-xs (a blind of black and whii*
and has discussed *nch sobjcvls sb tho bearing of : leaves) from C to 10 K«ans per man («.*. from -i'J
tho Cnhtomfi regulations ou the trade of the port, to 7J«/. a lb.) «n« howi ver ultimately withdrawn * *
P-bm-Mo improvements in duel lending nrmngt- r.and.'n, .IrrnnjrmfrJt.-TIm smndnlou,bel.nvdosr
■nenls, nnd reps.™ nmlcnlnrgemont of the Customs o( th,. Iom, L uuling Contractor in rofosing o,
H. use premrns. 1110 Chamber lies already mo e 6<.veraI occasions to proceed with tlio unloadiar 0t
then judged ,ts existence b, tl.e practical result* stcam£rl milU ccrmin exorbitant demands of hi,
ahich h.yc neerned from Its deliberations in the own h.,,1 fi.rfbwn complied will, 1,ns resulted in s
aborrmcntioncd directions. revival of interest in ihce schemes of reform nhich
Impronm'nt of Customs House premises.—Thi6 have been under consideration off and on for th®
vexed question ox seven years* > land inc is now pa-t ton years. It ia h"j*cd that cm long a compe-
nearing rolntion, active steps having recently been tent Lighterage Company iniy bo the outcome of
taken by the Direction, liitxcr complaints in 19tO present difiicnliicH, but until the negotiations havo
of damage earned t! r.-ngh hack of proper iiccoramoda- crystallized into some more denni'c lorra it would lo
lion to good* lying in ti.o Customs resulted in the : rash to make any prophecies. Public opinion is slow
sanction of a comparatively small sum for tbc to change in Bushire and ancient institutions, how.
reparation of ono of the courtyards. In December ever ootlwaten, Are clung to with all the pa^rioa
of tint same year, the British Chamb r of Commerce ! of an old attachment by tho mote conservative sec-
expressed regret that tho other court aud ware- | tion cf the nativo mercantile community. Th®
houses had not yet been rendered weather-tight: ! principal objections cherished against tho present
five <Ibjb af er their pr lest camo the exceptionally j (Mohammedan) Lauding Contractor, as indeed against
heavy rain-fall of 19:h December, which rose to ! most of his j rcdcconso. s, are firstly, that ho takes no
5J inches within a few honra, and occasioned ! precautions to avoid rebbery, damage or loss of tho
Fi.riom depreciation to gooJs, for which heavy ! goods entrusted to his care; secondly, that being a
claims were subsequently presented to the C/fstoms • man without capital he is as unable as he is an will-
authorities. A committee of experts took this , iug to meet claims for compensation under tho
opportunity of thoroughly examining tho premises, ‘ above heads, in fact, he lahoais under the impression
and proposed that courtyards should be paved, ' that if ho is io be held responsible for goods short-
roofs mended, walls extended and the practises delivered, he should be entitled as compensation to
generally enlarged at a total cost of £->00 profit by any windfall in the sha;e of packages
approximately. Ways and means of providing this landed in excess; and. thirdly, that besides having
sura having been devi^-d and ^auction obtained ftom no real control ovor the highly insubordinate tcat-
head-qusrtera, the more urgent repairs we. e under- \ men «>f the place he himself holds sach independent
taken and completed. More extensive alterations ; views that if his unblushing demands for extra
aro now nnder consideration which may resolve ! remuneration—* bakhshish * it would bo called in
themselves finally into the erection of entirely new ! other oriental conntries—from the Shipping Com­
promises on the old site. I panics are disrrgaided, he thinks nothing of causing
Customs Tariff.—Two important changes in thB a steamer twenty-four hours’ delay by refusing to
have been in contemplation. Tho Commercial Con" lighter her, snch triflirg m<'dcrnitic3 as demurrage
vention of 1903 between the United Kingdom and : and the terras printed on Bills of Lading conveying
Persia fixed the export duty on wheat at 1 Kran per no meaning to his simple eastern mind. So famous
10 Customs mans or65'4 lhs., ie, about 3s. li. per 5n<icod Lave the landing a-jaugements of this port
quarter of 8 tmhels or 504 lbs. Tbis imposition become among Euglish underwriters tuat disquieting
does net weigh heavily on Britidx trade in a poo- I rnmours were recently afloat that insurance of goods
year, when there i6 practically no surplus produce l'*® bushire might in the near fature come a
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for export; bat with 1910*8 excellent harvest and ■ matter of no little difficulty.
moderate prices the rate mcau6 at least 16 per cent, i Shipping.—The total tonnage of all vessel*
ad valorem. This was too much even for the long j cntcri£,C the port of Bushire is practically identical
Buffering British merchants of Busbire and their | t^t 0f year. This total includes however
protests energetically backed by the local Customs an jncrcnEC jn the number of sailing vessels from
authorities (who realise as well as they the proton- ; 037 59^ which increase may safely bo ascribed
tial loss to revenne entailed by crowding on duties ^ t^e transport of wheat, straw and barley between
to the paralysis of the trade which nourishes them) ^e stn3:ier ports along tlio coast and Bushire. The
were so far crowned with success that the tariff was nnmberof steamships, with which alone British
reduced for the present season by one 1 alf. A like is concerned, dropped fmm 190 to 178, with
redaction was at the same time mode in the case of a re(jaced tonnage of 9,436. With snch a very bod
barley, and the embargo on the export of grain was year M this has been, such a falling-off1*
removed. hardly to ^ wondered at Ten vessel* of the
Another item of interest in thi* connection has Hambnrg-Ameiika Line called in the course 01 •
been the threatened increase of duty on imported year.