Page 401 - 4 Persian Trade rep KUWAIT 2_Neat

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of vegetables and melons. The agricultural centre. (0) Kuwait is well known over the w hole of the
in the principality is Jahrah (situated some 25 Persian Gulf for boat, (s.iiling) building,
miles south-west of Kuwait) which has greatly Figures regarding number ami tonnage
improved during the year owing to the facilities of boats built during the year under
afforded by motor transport in taking the products report appear on page 1 of Part I of
into town. The village has over 2,500 date trees, this Rojiort.
under which wheat, barley and lucerne, melon, (c) Fish oil, boat sails, ropes, etc., etc., are
water melons, pumpkins, beans and some oilier also manufactured for local use.
vegetables arc grown in increasing quantities. The n .y<*»r Industrie* Introduced.—XiL
above crops are mostly irrigated hut a small amount j* (Jorernment Encouragement.—Nil.
of wheat and barley is grown by rainfall nlone. The u, Urf „j ^ctricUy in Industry.—In view of
agriculture of Jalirab might be considerably increased C3Cfrrmoly backward state of industry the use of
if more money were sunk in it. The second most electricity in manufacture is unknown, and is hardly
important agricultural centre is the Inland of hail- liK-c-ly to develop for some vears at least if ever,
akali where wheat and barley are grown with some 2'». Demand for Foreign Machinery.-Demand for
success on the clayey patches. The island also foreign machinery is insignificant. The only machi-
produces vegetables especially carrots which are of nory used is in motor boats and launches of
an exceptionally fine quality but the agriculture which alwmt. a dozen exist at Kuwait.
is generally inferior to that of Jahrab. 21. DcrcVjjmcul of Mines.—Kuwait is, as far
14. As will he seen from what has been said above, as is known, very poor in mineral resources. The
from an agricultural point of view the value of land only mineral product is gvp-um mortar, which is
in Kuwait is very little. Except in eusc of land manufactured by the simple process of firing rubbish
•■urroundtng the Town, which can be useful for in broad shallow excavations. There is a large
building purposes, land is free and everybody is gypsiferous tract on the outskirts of Kuwait town
at liberty to take up any uuoccupicd piece and and it is found in several other parts of the Princi­
develop it. pality.
The Kuwait Government keeps no records of The Kuwait Oil Company fa half American half
land holdings, nor is any land revenue charged British concern) which hold the concession for
to the cultivator. exploration and development of oil in Kuwait
Except, therefore, for a few of the tracts of land territory, except the Neutral Zone, bad l»egrju
in the environs of the Town, which arc held by boring during the period under review on the north
private owners and which change hands as any side of Kuwait Bay.
other property does, land is not hypothecated.
(F) Industry, (G) Communications and Transport.
15. General.—As has been already stated Kuwait 22. General.—As mentioned elsewhere the chief
has no industries worth the name, of her own. The means of transport between Kuwait and other
reasons for this state of affairs are as under :— porta of the Persian Gulf is by the local dbows
engaged in overseas trade carrying, as distinguished
(a) Shyness of Capital.
(b) Limited and uncertain market. from pearl fishing, etc., or by the steamers of the
(c) Influx of cheap Japanese goods as a result British India Steam Navigation Company, which
of low customs duty, which tends to call regularly every week.
Besides the above and a motor road between
kill industrial initiative. Kuwait and Basra and another from Kuwait to
16. The only manufactures of which Kuwait can Riyadh there are no regular roads. This is due to
boast are as follows:— the fact that the interior though it consists of flat
(a) A cloth called “ Darry Bnsht”, which is and generally hard desert which can be traversed
manufactured as a cottage industry by in nearly every direction by motor cars, is not
a primitive type of handluom and is at all an easy country to travel in. The great
exclusively used for making “ Basht ” obstacle is complete lack of supplies and extreme
or Arab cloaks (known also as Abbas). scarcity of water.
This cloth is woven from sheep’s wool The only regular means of transport is by camd
and the thread is spun locally by poor along definite routes.
classes of Arabs as a sort of spare time 23. AdocrU of the Motor Car.—In view of the
job. It i^ usually available in lengths undeveloped state of the hintcr land it has not
of 6 to 6.J yards, which cost on an average hitherto been found either convenient or profitable
from £0-10-8 to £0-13-4 a piece. A to employ motor as a means of transport. The
roll or piece, sufficient for one cloak, motor service between Kuwait and Basra carried
takes from 4 to 10 days to weave. passengers only. Camel, therefore, ss already stated,