Page 324 - 5 Persian Trade rep BUSHIRE I_Neat

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ind as replacing the Shiraz * rente. A very differ­ The actual figures for 1911-12 •were:—
ent situation was, however, created in 1911-12,
.when caravans on the Ahwaz road became equally Imports: £932,531. Exports: JtrCO^Oao
exposed to depredations and forwarding arrange­ Compared with previous years :—
ments on botli hopelessly congested. Imports. KiporU.
From September 1910 onwards the telegraph C C
route—the ordinary caravan route—between Shiraz 1992 . 1,179,995 31’.20J
and Ispahan was very unsafe owing to the presence 1903 . S70.r03 3J*;ac«
of robbers, an«l became practically closed. Weekly 1901 . 8 SO,? 23 *•51,931
reports from March to June 1911 were monotonous IPOS . 701,931 4C9.930
in saying i— 1905-07. 863.812 693,121
** No caravans, unsafe, practically no traffic, 1907-03. . 1,052.013 497,990
little traffic, posts, no traffic ** and in July "prac­ 1905-09. 793.106 432,593
tically des-Tt^d." 1909- 10. 717.091 400.892
During June to August, when the presence of 1910- 11. 675,014 3U5.950
the Kashgai nomads along the Sarhad route afford­ 1911- 12. . 932,531 069.020
ed safeguards f*’r traffic, but to a less extent than
in 1911 owing to the political situation at Shiraz, The increase of £256,917 in imports would in­
some 3,000 head of transport were reported to have doubt be in itself remarkable, if it were not for
passed either up or down country. The condition the fact that it represents very largely goo<J,
of the road deteriorated after September 1911, " dumped ” into the country, and not hoal.hr
hut greater use was made of it, no douht because consumption in the interior. The increase cann.I;
of the worse state of the Ahwaz-Ispahan road : be regarded as a healthy sign any more than it
and during the winter of 1911-12, up to March could be said of a man with appendicitis, wh-.
only, a fair number of caravans passed. pertook of an extra heavy meal, that he wa3 in a
On the other hand the Ahwaz-Ispahan road has fair way of health.
been handicapped bv three chief factors :—Snow, Articles showing increase were:—Cotton pioc^
Kuhgelu robbers, and a growing insufficiency of goods £159,359 : Specie (chiefly Krans brought
transport. R -ports received gave the following back from India and Turkey in order to finance
results :— purchases of grain in the coast port?) £33,931
Scarcity of transport is shown in the fact that aud Bank-notes .£10,1-5*0: Loaf-sugar £18,458.
at the end of April 191. there were 4,9S2 pack­ The year's imports would indeed have resemlUd
ages awaiting transport at Ahwaz : in June 6,000 those for 1909-10 very closely had in not been J/r
animals were needed. the excessive quantities of piece-goods.
From May 6th to Juno 17th, 1911 Expressed in terms of weights:—
(I J mouths) . . No transport. Ten*.
Frora Jair 22nd to November 11th
(11 months) . . Suspension of Import* fer 19DS-09 . 16,931
forwardings ow­ » 1909-10 . . 16,404
ing lo Kuhgeln . 1910-11 . 13,879
robl)<*i* and ex­ .
tensive pi and fir­ . 1911-12 . 16,697
ing e* rvute.
From December 23rd to March and almost the entire increase of 1911-12 on tin
16th, 1912 (3 month*) . . Rood blocked bj previous year is represented by—
scow. Tons.
In October and November 1911, muleteers were Piece-good* 727
refusing to use the road owing to cholera at Loaf-sugar . 1,147
Ahwaz: From December to March 1912, there Exports for 1911-12 showed an increase of
were between 3,000-5,000 packages awaiting down­ £320,070 on those of 1910-11, and are the on
ward transport, owing to scarcity of mules. Traffic satisfactory feature of the year : articles that
to and from Ishapan on the Ahwaz road is stated showed ;ncrease being :—Opium £192,302 (wbicb
to have-been;—-
however, owing to its high declared value, meat*
Up-country. Down. an increased weight exported of only 69 Tons):
Tom. Tod*. Wheatand Barley £119,160 : Almonds £22,164:
1910 . 1,316 382 Gums £16,826.
1911 (*. «„ •xcluiiv* of Of these, grain entirely and • gums largely,
3 month*—December is
Much 1912) 660 370 produce of the littoral, where the question of the
insecurity of the caravan routes does not arise. «.
IT.B.—Tbc*« Cgure* represent forwarding* bj the Company
managiog the rc*d; Independent forwarding* by Persian Of the £932,531, value of Imports, the propor­
trader* are itated by competent authority to be a similar tion assigned to the United Kingdom rose fr0R)
toaeftitj. 42 per cent, to 44-5, that of India falling fro™
Perusal of the above statement of disastrous 36 per cent, to 31, the total proportion of Britn
influences affecting foreign Imports, 76 per cent., being thus over 2 per ccn
Volune of Tn-1*. lower than in 1910-1L
trade with Southern Persia ----------- ------------- -------
during ^ March 1911-12 will prevent any raisap- Belgian Imports, as a result of heavy cons»F«’
prehensions to the effect that there Las been a ment of sugar, ro?o nearly 3 per cent. * r
recovery in trade during that period and remove proportion enjoyed by Franc- .and Gcrrnanj
agy hasty inferences from the fact that imports diminished by 3 and 2 per cent, respectively. J
were assessed by the Customs as £273,051 above I small imports from the Dutch East Indies
those of the previous year, 1910-11.. showed an advance from £10,160 to £20,1)96.