Page 45 - 4 Persian Trade rep KUWAIT 2_Neat

Report on the Trade of Kuwait for the year I 926-27.

1st April 19JO to 31 si March 1927
BY
Major J. C. More, d.s.o^
Political Agent, Kuwait.
The Principality of Kuwait and its Inhabitants, desert. The value of Maria Theresa Dollars ave­
The frontier line of Kuwait is as follows raged Rs. 143-13-4 per 100 Dollars during the period
under review.
Starling from the Southern portion of Rus al-
A .B.—The conversion of the trade figures in this report
Qulai’ah (42 miles from Kuwait), with the town as ia mode at the rate of R*. 13 per £ throughout.
centre it describes au arc towards the West until it
intersects 29: latitude, and from this point runs in Weights and Measures.
a straight line to the Batin, opposite the junction The ordinary unit of weight is the icaqiyah of which
of the Wadi al-’Aujah with the Batin. The line then there are three kinds; nr., one of 4 lbs. 10-22 or. ;
tuns Northward along the Batin to a point just south another of 4 lbs. 15-168 oz.; and a third of 9 lbs.
oi the latitude of Safwun : then Eastward, passing 4-44 oz. ; being respectively the weight of 75, 80 and
just south of Jabal 8auam, Safwan and L'ntm Qasr, 150 Maria Theresa Dollars, on which coin the tra^i-
and so on to the junction of the Khuwair with the yah is based. The icaqiyah of 4 lbs. 15-168 oz. is
Xhaur ’Abdullah. The territory enclosed within this only used by the local customs for import from the
line and the Persian Gulf, together with the island of desert and that of 9 lbs. 4-44 oz., only for the sale
Warbah, Bubiyan. Maskan, Failakah. ’Auhah, Kub- of fish, and beyond this mention of them no further
bar and Umm al-Marudim, is recognised as belonging notice will be taken of them here. The icaqiyah
to Kuwait. of 4 lbs. 10-22 oz., is used by the local Customs for
The tract of country* bounded on the North bv the sea imports, and is universally used in the town.
>* *uthern portion of the Kuwait frontier as described A larger weight is the maim of which there are five
above, on the East by tiie sea. and the West by the distinct varieties, all based on the icaqiyah of 4 lbs.
•Shaqq, and on the .South by the straight line running 10-22 oz., n*.:—
due East from the .^haqq through ’Ain al-’Abd to (1) The matin of 27 iraqiyahs, or 125 lbs. 3-94 oz.
t'.e sea North of R3> al-.Misu’ab. is recognise! as is tbe local Customs measure for weigh­
common to the two .States of Najd and Kuwait, in ing goods for assessment of duty; it is
which both enjoy equal rights. also used in the town for weighing all
The Capital itself has a population of about 30,L*J0 commodities for which there is not a
souls of whom the great majority are Arabs. The special measure.
Persian community, however, has greatly iucreased (2) The matin of 30 icaqiyahs or 139 lbs. 2*6 oz.,
in recent years and now consists of about I<VX'U is used for wheat, barley, ’Iraq rice and
seals. There are over 4,*JU0 Negroes, a few .Jews, firewood.
and two or three houses of Chaldean Christians from (3) The maim of 12 Kaqiyahs or 55 lbs. 10-G4 oz.
‘Iraq. Outside the Capital the inhabitants *»f the is used for sail-cloth only.
principality are all Arabs, and are mostly nomads. (4) The maim of 24 icaqiyahs or 111 lbs. 5-28 oz.
The only settled villages are Jahrah, at the head of is used for clarified butter, fat, salt and
Kuwait Bay, which has a population of about oOU gypsum mortar.
souls; Failakah village, on the island of the same (5) The mann of 36 icaqiyahs or 166 lbs. 15-92
name at the entrance of Kuwait Bay : with a similar ozs. is used for wheat and barley when
population ; smaller villages of Hawaii, Diwnab, imported from Basrah. 20 inarms of the
Fantas, Abu Hulaifab, Fuhaihil and Shu’aibaL to last named variety or approximately
tbe south and south-east of Kuwait. 3,340 lbs. make one Taghar.
Firewood is normally sold by tbe raja* of 4 /naans
Currency.
of 30 icaqiyahs or 5,556 lbs. 10-4 oz.
Kuwait has no currency of its own. Indian Gypsum mortar is sold by the karah of 100 morns
Rupees and smaller coins are used in the town, and of 24 xcaqiyahs or 11,133 lbs. The term karah is
accounts are kept in Indian currency; but Maria also used for date palm branches in which sense it
Theresa Dollars are used for all dealings with the means 1,000 branches.