Page 10 - 4 Persian Trade rep KUWAIT 2_Neat

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Beams an<l masts are sold by the Calicut kandy Najd merchants who had been settled in the town
or 10 Cubic feet 20 Cubic inches: round r-’.fters or for many years left the town for Jubail, Qutif, etc.
spars by the korjah or score and boat ribs by the
fj'iri or cart load of 40 pieces or upward according Imports.
to size. The total imports by sen amounted to £118.014
The 4 gallon kerosinc oil tin is used as a measure and showed a decrease of 9*<»7 as compared with the
of capacity for the sale of water. figures lor 1021-23 which is accounted for bv the
Of the smaller weights is the huU*:h. •-«jiii- decreased import of Haberdashery, iron and iron­
valcut to 3 grains Troy, used in the sale of gold and ware. Kerosine oil. piece goods, rafters, sugar an^-^a.
silver. Gold is normally sold by the hiithqdl \tllari Of these total import trade 71*03 per cens^sas
of 18 hnlAxth* or 51 grains and also by the Turkish with India, K» per cent, with ’Iraq. 8 per cent.
pound and fractions thereof. Silver is sold by the with Arab Coast. 8*71 per cent, with Persian Coast
milhqul Shlrnzi or 24 habbnhs or 72 grains. The and 2*20 from other countries.
;nithqnl ‘ n/tdri and the mifhqdl Shlrdzi are also both
used for diugs and silk thread ; but for this purpose Exports,
they are not divided into /ribb*ih*. but only into
halves and quarters, the niceties of weight bring The total exports by sea amounted to £210.740
arrived at using the two mithqdh* and their frac­ which is less than half (45*14 p. c.) the figures for
tions in conjunction. Perfumes as also gold thread, 1924-25. The decrease is due largely to the decrease
arc sold by the tolah or 180 grains. in the export of jioarls. Accurate figures for pearls
In the pearl trade the following weights and can never be obtained as many are exported amongst
measares arc most commonly used in Kuwait. personal luggage, and those that are ship} cd as
Wholesale purchase of pearls from the Captains of such are often undervalued to reduce the freight.
jiearling boats arc made chiefly by size. For this During the year under report, however, it is known
purpose, after any exceptionally good pearls which some of the biggest merchants did not sell their
it is desired to dispose of separately. Lave been stocks at all owing to the bad market. There was
removed, remainder arc assorted by lx ing passed also a decrease iu the export of Arab cloaks, barley.
through a series of perforated brass or copper bowls, colTcc. dates, s-ugar, piece goods and tea.
the standard set of which consists of 4 : the perfora­ Of the total export trade 27*03 per cent, was with
tions of the largest called ran are *18' in diameter: India. 33*74 per cent, with Persian (’oast. 22*42
those of the second, bain •l’)' ; those of third, dhail per cent, with ’Iraq and 1G-78 per cent, with Aral;
*13' : and those of fourth rdbi'ah -II'. .\ner being toast.
assorted into /•«.*, bain, etc., they chung- Lands at Customs Administration and Lighterage.
a previously arranged rate, at so much the mifhqdl The administration of the Kuwait Customs is
'Arnbi which is equivalent to 30 grains. The supervised by a local Arab and the system works
ordinary pearls then usually pass from one dealer
to another on the more precise kind of estimate satisfactorily. An impoit duty of 4 per cent, ad
valorem is charged, and there is no exj ort duty
based upon weight : in Kuwait the Bombay milhqdl except on goods brought in front the interior, such
equivalent to 75 grains Troy and sub-divided into as clarified butter.hides, wool, etc., on which 4 per
21 raliif each of 15 dunks is usually employed. The cent, is charged if exported.
unit in the dealer’s system is called a cJ/'in, and, The arrangements for lightening and landing cargo
although derived from a weight, it is no: in itself a at Kuwait are superior to those at any other port
weight. The number of chans in a |>earl is found in the Persian Gulf.
by s juaring the weight of the |>earl in mithqdls and
m jit inlying the result by 330. The chan is divisible Freight, Shipping and Navigation.
i ito !•/) dukrahs, and the dak rah* into I«*> bnddins.
There are other kinds of chans also occasionally Kuwait owns about 245 boats engaged in the
used and obtained by an identical process from oilier car ryihg trade, as distinct from pearling and fishing
miihqd’s. such as the Poona tnifkqdl of grains. boats, of these sixty have a carrying capacity of over
The normal unit of length is the dhira or cubit 100 tons, including eight over 300 tons and twenty
of 10' but for ropo-which is also sold by the weight, over 23ft tons.
the bd1 or fathom is usually employed. There is The British India Steam Navigation Company
no square measure in use; and a plot of ground is maintain a weekly sendee from, and a fortnightly
described as being so many dhird't according to the service to. India.
Steamers owned or chartered by the Persian Gull
sum of its sides.
Steam Navigation Company Ltd., (7), The Eastern
The Year 1925-2F- Steam Navigation Company Ltd., (5), Gioclos C<»m*
The year was very unfavourable for trade. The pane (2) and rhe liansa Steamship Company Ltd.
jrcarling season wa6 bad, and the pearl market very (I),a!so called on the way from India as inducement
poor. There was still no trade with X*jd, and several offered.