Page 121 - 4 Persian Trade rep KUWAIT 2_Neat

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ai valorem is charged, and there is no-Export Duty St« Fisheries.
jpt, on goods brought in from the interior, such The only truly local, produce of Kuwait is that
is clarified butter, hides, -wool, etc., on which 4 yielded by the harbour fisheries, which are a valu­
per cent, is charged if exported. able assett, Resides float-and-weight-nets and lines,
The arrangements for lightering and landing cargo traps or tidal weirs constructed cf reed hurdles
at Kuwait are superior to thoso at any other port are also employed : the fish enter them with the
in the Persian Gulf. flowing tide and are left behind at the ebb. The
majority of the fish caught is consumed locally,
Freight, Shipping and Navigation, but a small proportion is dried and exported to
Basrah and elsewhere.
Kuwait owns about 200 wiling vessels engaged
in carrying trade as distinct from pearling and fish­ Bast Budding.
ing boats: of these 63 having a capacity of over
100 tons, including 80 of over 300 tons and 21 Fifty-eight boats (of which one was of 40 tons
over 230 tons. capacity and fitted with motor power of British
Fifty boats were employed constantly in bringing make) of an aggregate value of £8,947 were buDt
in Kuwait during the year under report- Of these
drinking water to the Town from the Shatt-al-’Arab. six had $ carrying capacity of 90 tons each, and
On an average eight such boats arrive daily and
the rest were all smalL These figures are net in­
bring 50,000 gallons of water worth £55. cluded in the Trade Report.
The British India Steam Navigation Company,
Ltd., maintain o weekly Service from India and a Labour.
fortnightly Service to India.
The price of labour remained nearly the same
The steamers owned and chartered by (1) The
IJansa Steamship Company of Bremen/ Germany as for the previous year. .An unskilled labourer
(2) The Strick Line, Ltd., of London and (3) Eller- camel from Is. 8d. to 2 shillings, a parpenter from
man and Bucknal Line of London also called during 4 shillings to 8 shillings, a mason from 2*. 8d. to 9
the year under report, but their sendee has not shillings and a boat buOdpp from 4 shillings to 8
been a regular one. shillings per diem.
The rates of freight by the British India Steam Minerals.
Navigation Company’s steamers was £1 from Bom­
bay and Karachi to Kuwait and from Kuwait to The only mineral product worked is gypsum
Bombay and Karachi was £1 13«. 4d. per ton res­ mortar, which is manufactured by the simple pro­
pectively, throughout the year. cess of firing rubbish in broad shallow exacava:ions.
There is a large gypseferoua tract on the outskirts
of Kuwait Town and it is found in several other
Communications,
parts of the principality.
Kuwait is fortunate enough to possess a Com­
bined Post and Telegraph Office worked by the Domestic Animals.
Posts and Telegraphs Department of the ‘Iraq
Government. Foreign rates of Postage and Tele­ The most valuable domestic animals are camels,
grams Charges are applicable from Kuwait to the of which there are large numbers, sheep, goats and
United Kingdom and other countries. As a rule donkeys, of the latter many of a large white breed
Mails for the United Kingdom and the Continent originally from Hassa, are found in the Town.
are now despatched from Kuwait via the Overland These are sometimes over 13 hands in height, and
route Baghdad-Haifah and fh'e time taken in transit a good one will fetch about £20. There are also
averages 14 days. Parcels from the United King­ some horses and a few homed cattle.
dom for Kuwait take 3 to 5 weeks by the above-
mentioned Overland route. Agriculture.
The Kuwait Motor Transport Company which is Neither Kuwait nor its environments can boast
also under a Postal Contract with the ’Iraq Posts of any agriculturil resources. There are no date
and Telegraph Deprrtiuent for the conveyance of plantations of any value, no fields, and not many
both .Sea Mails from India and Overland Mails kitchen gardens. The villages to the south-east
from Basrah and vice versa continued to function of Kuwait supply a limited but increasing quantity
between Kuwait aDd Zubair and maintained the of vegetables and melons. The agricultural centre
road in good condition. The fare by this Com­ in the principality is Jahrah which has greatly
pany’s motors is eleven shillings by car and seven improved during the year owing to the facilities
shillings by vanette and the journey each way on afforded by motor transport in taking the product
average occupies 4 to 5 hour*. into Town. There are some 2,500 date tree*. The