Page 538 - 4 Persian Trade rep KUWAIT 2_Neat

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to rupee* coin as they are moro easily handled and (C) Agriculture. AT#
the bedouin visitors to the town having grown (D) Industry.
accustomed to them the previous objection to their
use has been overcome. 1. Ship Building.
About one hundred sailing vessels of more than
(B) Customs Administration. one hundred Ions burden aic bated on Kuwait
Th*y arc at sea for nine months in the year trading
The Customs continued under indigenous mana- from Basrah to Mombasa via Aden, Calicut and
gomint aad rates of duty rem lined unchanged. Bombay. The principal cargoes carried aic dates,
sugar, rice, mangrove poles ar.d teak wood. These
PART II. vessels were constructed locally of teak ar.d aro
well found and seaworthy ships navigated by
(A) Trade.
skilled captains and manned by experienced
While the main essential foodstuffs were sup­ sailors. Approximately seven new vessels were
plied bv th-? U.K.C.C. and the Government of India budt at ™ avcra8« cosi of Rf ; dur>"6
a: controlled (but high) prices, consumer goods under rcv,cw* Four shii»s were sunk.
b»Mmo progressively scarcer and more expensive. 2. Oil Production.
Mirchants benefitted very considerably by the The Kuwait Oil Company did not carry out
substantial appreciation in the value of their pre­ drilling operations during the period under review.
war and pre-control stocks which resulted. While
the application of quotas and controls by the 3. Pearling.
G jvcraiaont of India with concomitant pnhioition The number of boats trading has not changed
of re-exports severely restricted the entrepot trade miterially since the hist trade report. Catches
which has been for centuries essential to the pres- have been slightly below the average but except
parity of Kuwait it also enhanced very considerably for some Indian buying, the market was dull. The
the rise in prices noted above. value of the catch was approximately Rs. 200,000
Shortage of shipping, however, caused the ser­ (£) Communication and Transport
vices of the ocean-going sailing boats, whose activi­
ties are one of the miinstays of Kuwait, to be in 1. General.
great demind, and the earnings of the “Safar”, or The landing of cargo from steamers is carrie d out
annual journey to Africa and India were computed hy the Landing Company who own six lighters,
at three and four times the pre-war average, three barges and two motor boats.
Shortage of timber, however, began to make it There are three qua vs all of which are un;p-
«lf {e t *“? construction and repair costs rose very pr0achable at low water,
considerably carrying freights with them.
There is a beacon at Bas al Ardh and the harbour
Although no budget is published it has been is properly buoyed,
deduced that the takings of the customs for the
year were Rs. 1,033,500 and that the profits of the Fresh meat is available at short notice for vessels
landing and transportation company were Rs. calling at Kuwait.
30,000. The steamers of the British India Steam Naviga­
tion Company normally call regularly twice a week
(B) Financial.
but owing to war conditions the regular service
There was one bankruptcy, that of & dealer in 1138 beea BOmewimt interrupted,
gold sovereigns, daring the year. Freight rates continued to increase as shown
The Imperial Bank of Iran continued to make W°w:“"
satisfactory progress and the local community 6t©amer» per ton (Gaooral Cargo) India Ra.
availed themselves of its services in increasing Kuwait . . . . . 29-6-0
numbers. Sailing veaacU per mauad of data* of 169
Iba.
The following were the average exchange rates Kuwait—Karachi . Ra. 9 Ra 40 per ton (Ap
for the period under review :— Kuwait—Aden . Rs.7 Rs.tU proxunateljr).
Do.
Kuwait—Bombay Rs. < Rs. SO Do.
100 Maria Tberweea dollars . . Bj. 3iS—00—0 Kuwait—Malibar Rs. • Rs. »0 Do.
200 Saudi Riala . . . . „ J41—14—e Karachi—Kuwait , Ra. 70 per toe.
J Iraqi dinsr . , , . „ 12-12-3 Bombay—Kuwait . Ra. 70 |<or to©.
1 £ (Gold aorwraign) . . . „ 60-10-6 Aden—Kuwait . , Ra. 100 por too.

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