Page 119 - 4 Persian Trade rep KUWAIT 2_Neat

Report on the Trade of Kuwait for the year 1928-29.

(1st April 1928 to 31st March 1929.)
BY

Lieutenant-Colonel H. R. P. Dickson, C.l.E„
Political Agent, Kuwait,
Principality of Kuwait and its inhabitants. and accounts arc kept in Indian currency: but
Maria Theresa Dollars arc used for all dealings with
The frouticr line of Kuwait is as follows :— the desert. The value of Maria Theresa Dollars
Starting from the Southern portion of Ras al- averaged Rupees 127-3-11 per 100 Dollars during
Qulai’ah (42 miles from Kuwait), with the town 16 the period under review.
ceutrc it describes an arc towards the West until
X.B.—The conversion of the trade figures in this report
it intersects 29° latitude, and from this point runs is made at the rate of Rs. 13 per £ throughout.
in a straight line to the Batin, opposite the junc­
tion of the Wadi al-’Aujah with the Batin. The
line then run3 Northward along the Batin to a point Weights and Measures.
just south of the latitude < f Safwan : then East­ The ordinary unit of weight is the 1 Vaqiyah of
ward, passing just South of Jabal Sanam, Safw.ni which there are three kinds : viz., one of 4 lbs. 10-22
and Cm in Qasr, and so on to the junction of the ozs. another of 1 lbs. 15-108 ozs. and a third of 9
Khuwair with the Khaur ’Abdullah. The territory lbs. 4-41 ozs. being respectively the weight of 75
enclosed within this line and the Persian Gulf, SO and 150 Maria Theresa Dollars, on which coin
together with the island of Warbah, Bubiyan, the Waqiyah is based. The Waqiyah of 4 lbs.
Maskan, Failakah, ’Auliah, Kubbar and Umm al- 15-168 ozs. is only used by the local Customs for
Maradini, is recognised as belonging to Kuwait. inijMjrts from the desert and that, of 9 lbs. 4-44 ozs..
The tract of country bounded on the North by only for the sale of fish, and beyond this mcnrio.i
the Southern portion of the Kuwait frontier as of them no further notice will be taken of ihe.u here.
described above, on the by the sea, an! the The Waqiyah of 1 lbs. 10*22 ozs., is used by the
West by the Shaqq, and on the South by the straight local Customs for sea imports, and is universally
line running <lue East from the Snaqq through used in the town. A larger weight is the wim of
sAiu al-’Abd to the sea North of Ras al-Mish'ab, is which there are five distinct varieties, all based
recognised as common to the two States of Nejd on the Waqiyah of 4 lbs. 10-22 ozs., viz. :—
and Kuwait, in which bo*h enjoy equal rights.
(1) The irnvn of 27 Waqiyahs, or 125 lbs. 3-94
The Capital itself has a population of about ozs., is the local Customs measure for
souls of whom the greatest majority arc weighing goods for assessment of duty :
Arabs. The Persian community, however, has it is also used in the town for weighing
greatly increased in recent years and now consists all commodities for which there is not a
of about lO.OUO souls. There are over 1,000 Negroes, special measure.
a few Jews, and two or three houses of Chaldean (2) The mann of 30 Waqiyahs, or 139 lbs. 3-94
Christians from ’Iraq. Outside the Capital the ozs., is used for wheat, barley, ‘Iraq rice
inhabitants of the principality arc all Arabs, and and firewood.
are mostly nomads. The only settled villages are
Jahrah, at the head of Kuwait Bay, which has a (3) The mam of 21 Waqiyahs or 55 lbs. 10-64
population of about 300 souls: Failakah village, oos., is used for sail-cloth only.
on the island of the same name at the entrance of (4) The mann of 24 Waqiyahs or 111 lbs. 5-28
Kuwait Bay: with a similar population: smaller ozs., is used for clarified butter, fat,
villages of Hawaii, Dimnah, Fantas, Abu Hulaifah, 6alt and gypsum morter.
Fuhaihil and Shu’aibah to the south and south-east (5) The maun of 36 Waqiyahs or 166 lbs. 15-92
of Kuwait. . ozs., is used for wheat and barley when
Currency. imported from Basrah. 20 mann* of
Kuwait has no currency of its own Indian the last named variety or approximately
Rupees and smaller coins are used in the town, 3,340 Ibs^ make one Tayhar.