Page 328 - 5 Persian Trade rep BUSHIRE I_Neat

8

. It is nil the more to be regret led lb at the blstan, Luristan and Western Persia to K-liuram*
British shipping companies concerned did not pay lad, thDUgh neither of these railways wr„«j
the same careful attention *.o the needs of shippers be lik.'ly to affect the trade nulialinr; fp
ruj is shown by the foreign companies : great Bushire. But on the Bushirc-Shiraz-Ippa},.^
dissatisfaction was expressed by all owing to the route Persian merchants have a belter knowled?^
manner in *b»ch space was refused, to Buslr.rc of, and are more in touch with, the ccor.otiv'<«
exjvrt cauro, and the claims of Bushire put aside advantages derived from railway traction in
to suit Basn.li. With so sensitive a clientele as and Karo pc than in most parts of South. rn
the Persian exporter, it is a pity that shipping Persia; and ajnrt from the question of qu:,.^.r
comp, inies do not 6how themselves rnare accommo- transport l>y rail, the trading population in gcr>e.
dating rally alive to two great drawbacks in Pcr#i.,n
The que-tion of Lighterage at ports in the trade at present.
Persian Gulf, and Bushire in particular, is an­ (0 Import trade.—The pricc'of transport !,*
other in«t luce of lack of initiative, and lack of caravans has become prohibitive, and is checkin^
combin ition on the part of the Companies. A the expansion of import trade.
Lighterage Companies has been a need, urged by
the Shipping Agents themselves, and it is for the In normal years, before the institution of the
Shipping Companies interested to take the necess­ Persian constitution, it is reckoned that at loan
£ tO,000 was paid for hire between Bushire and
ity str*ps, and not for the consignees:, for w^re
consignees to be left to tbeir own inclination Shiraz, only some lbo miles. These rates worktj
regarding such a concern, experience in the Gulf cat at ^bont 1J krans = 5J/f. per ton per mile for
makes it oc.tain that the first to protest against • the upward journey, and for the downward jour­
mismanagement, losses and d.days to steamers ney about \ kran (2$*/.) per mile.
wonl l be the Shipping Companies. During recent years of disorder, however, as
The great advant ige which a proper Light- much as .170,000—£SO,«iOO has been paid annu-
erage Company, with two or injre steam-launches ! ally for transport hire. This can well be seen
for tugging purposes would confer, is quick des- from the figures given for the year under report,
patch of steamers at all times of the year. where as regards imports up-country alone an
Export freights for genera’ cargo to the United aT«raS? ra|° of 2°-'2.5 ,0™ns UT,10&
Kingdom opened at iU. ’id. per ton, andoonti- ! amuta-.aed. Re.Umng two moles to the 11>U
„ued steady till February : ™ns. ani1 an avmSe departure of 3,000 males
Frrghl*.
and March ll'li, when i op-««>=ir? every month we get a total cost of
27.. and 25.. Gd. were charged. //Heat a,id io-’.Of'O-foO.l'OO paid for mule lure. Cost <f
Bar'eg opened in Mav 1011 at 17a. Gd. per ton ; '-ownw^rd transport is often only one-fonrth or
of IS cwts. wheat, and 1G cwt>. barley; were ^no-fifth that of upward transport, but at leist
■
raised to 20*. at the end of October lull daring j -15,001 to £20,000 cannot be an excessive esti-
the height of the buying season, and the n<e for ! taa^c*
a time materially affected purohis*'*s by British j As to the weight of merchandize transport'd
firms, more especially as German competitors had up country,
a.ready the advantage of lower freights : in March
1 U2 rates were again advanced to 23*. when I
i
further export became out of the question. 10CC-53. 10CS-O iro-io. xvio-ii. uii.;i
Opium ruled at 20*. per eh°st from March
1911 till the end of theyeir, but from January Ton*. I Tons. Tons. ; Tor... • Tons.
to March 1*J12 was charged 25*.
Comparison of rates to the United Kingdom : Total Import, to 13,321 IG.9SI •6,404 13,879 16.557
general cargo. Bushlrfl wore j
£ m. d. £ «. d. Of tie above prols 11,415 12,571 13,578 10,025 13,451
1007-03 . . 10 0 0 15 0 capable of transport:
under the present
1903-09 . . 0 15 0 0 17 6 •jstera weighed
1909- 10 . • 0 17 6 10 0
1910- 11 . • 10 0 15 0 Amount, of principal j 8,714 ' 7,431 7.511
lion of good.,
1911- 12 . .12 6 17 0 tranj;ortcd to !
Shiran, have been I
Rates for general cargo to India remained estimated at
firm at 10 rupees (13*. id.) per ton of 40 c. ft.
or 20 cwts.
Dit-'s weakened slightly from Rs. 15—17 to
Rs. 15 —13 per package. and as regards 1910-11, whereas 10,025 tons may
be said to represent goods normally capable of
Skins Rs. 25 per ton of 20 cwts " consumption in the interior, information actually
Cotton Rs. 2 to 2-4-0 per bale collected from all principal forwarding merchants
Rosewater Re. 1 per case • remained the in Bushire gave a total of 5,90b tons. A ^further
Opium to Hongkong Rs. 25 per same as in 1,000 to 2,(m0 tons may he added for goods not
chest 1910-11. covered by this information and for forwarding*
Considerable interest has been awakened by by petty traders.
Ertaomie Dcrrl jpment.: the announcement of pro- (tV) On the other hand, the export trade of
IUilW'ija jects for concessions for a Southern Persia is, as regards interior rcduvvJ
Trans-Persian railway, and for a line from to 6uch produce as will repay the price of transport
Monammerab on the Persian Gulf through Are- to the coast. Gr iin and most seeds acd berf <*