Page 362 - 4 Persian Trade rep KUWAIT 2_Neat

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con, ns mentioned elsewhere, never bo obtained, souls, and of her nomad tribes numbering about
as both arc nearly always carried away amongst 20.0<«>. Kuwait importslarge quantities of foodstuffs
personal luggage. which find their way into the territories of neigh­
Of the total export trade 40-4 per cent, was with bouring States and help to support the great
India, 23 ft per cent, with Arab Coast, 10 per Bedouin tribes of North Bast Arabia and of the
cent; with Traq, 3 per cent, with the Persian Southern desert of Iraq. This fact couple*] to the
Coast, fi per cent, with the United Kingdom advantage of possessing a fine natural harbour
and 2*8 per cent, with other countries. (one of the best in the Gulf) makes Kuwait an
important trade centre on the Arab side of the
14. Rainfall.—
Persian Gulf.
luchr*.
April I PM . •37 Atic Items of Trmfr. There was evident during
Mat, 10W ■M the year under review a gradual rise in the
November, 1PM 07 itnjjorr of western goods and incelianicul things,
DitnnWr, 19M 2 23 among which electric goods may be notes! in parti­
Jxjuatv, 1930 .Vi cular. An opportunity remains in 1937 for still
further exploitation of this lnti< r market.
February, 103# •GO
March, 1936 . 1-21 0. drouth if Foreign Com j/et it ion. -Of late years,
15. Public Health. -During the year there were foreign competition has grown to a formidable
no epidemics. The health of t he town on the whole extent in tie-* Kuwait market. The latest and
was good, but Tuberculosis and Abdominal com­ most formidable entrant in the field being Japan.
plaints took their ususal toll, the latter especially Italian. German, and Russian goods have in turn
among infants. Kar and eve diseases being as had t’.ieir day and practically disappeared. At
common as previous years. present Japanese goods alone preponderate over
all others in the local bazaars.
7. The Russians.—The position so far as Russian
PART IL
goods are concerned continued to be the same aa
(A) Trade. in the previous year. Russia practically ceased to
General Conditions. — At the present time Kuwait trade during the year 1031-35 and there was no
is passing through a stage of transition from a attempt at a revival daring the year uiider review.
Bedouin to a more or less modern town. People's 8. Japanese.—Japan continued to exploit the
•wants arc definitely increasing and becoming Kuwait market as was reported last year. Their
diverse in character. The change has been all the goods retained their popularity almost to the ex­
more rapid since the opening up of the overland clusion of those of all other matiormlitics. The
route to Iraq. Similarly the advent of Imperial quality of most of their goods has been inferior and
Airways on the Arab side of the Gulf and the fact often bad but they have possessed the all important
that Kuwait has become a regular port of call for advantage of extreme cheapness.
t he East and Westbound aircraft, have also had a The majority of the inhabitants of Kuwait earn
considerable eivilising effect on the Kuwait popu­
lation as a whole. little more than suffices to eke out a ha re existence.
To be readily saleable therefore everything must be
2. Kuwait, which grows neither wheat, barley, of the lowest possible price whatever its quality or
rice, dates, the staple food needs of the Arab, lasting properties may be.
produces nothing to meet her own needs : for all
her requirements she depends on foreign countries. 9. Japanese Methods.—As reported on in detail
India supplies Kuwait with most of her foodstuffs, last year.
*>., rice, sugar, tea, flour, etc.; Japan with piece- 10. Suggestions for Meeting Competition.— There
goods, hardware aud a large variety of miscella­ is nothing further to add to the detailed suggestions
neous articles, etc. ; and Iraq with wheat, barley, given under this head in last year’s Report.
dates, tobacco, cigarettes, articles of earthenwares, (B) Financial.
etc.
11. There are as pointed out in the previous
3. In addition to the requirements of the popula­ Report no banks in Kuwait and transfers of money
tion of the town itself—estimated to be some 00,000 to foreign countries are either made by means of