Page 81 - 4 Persian Trade rep KUWAIT 2_Neat

Report on the Trade of Kuwait for the year 1927-28.
{In April 1927 to 31 it March 1928.)

BY
Lieutenant-Colonel J. C. More, D.S.O.,
Political Agent, Kazoait„

Principality of Kuwait and its inhabitants. Theresa Dollars arc used for all dealings with the
desert. The value of Maria Theresa Dollars averaged
The frontier line of Kuwait b as follows :— Rupees 130-8-3 per 100 Dollars during the period
Starting from the southern portion of Ras al- under review.
Qulai’ah (42 miles from Kuwait), with the town as
centre it describes an arc towards the west until it X.B.—The conversion of the tTade fieorcs in [this report
intersects 29c latitude, and from this point runs made at the rate of Rs. 15 per £ throaghout.
in a straight line to the Batin, opposite the junction
of the Wadi al-’Aujah with the Batin. The line Weights and Measures,
then runs northward along the Batin to a point
just south of the latitude of Safwan : then eastward, The ordinary unit of weight is the xcaqiyah of
passing just south of Jabal Sanam, Safwan and which there are three kinds: ric., one of 4 lbs. 10-22
Umni Qasr, and so on to the junction of the Khuwair oz.: another of 4 lbs. 15-168 or.: and a third of 9
with the Khaur ’Abdullah. The territory enclosed lbs. 4*44 oz. : being respectively the weight of 75,
within this line and the Persian Gulf, together with 80 and 150 Maria Theresa Dollars, on which coin
the island of Warbah, Bubivan, Maskan, Failakah, the xraqiyah is based. The xcaqiyah of 4 lbs. 15-16S
’Auhah, Kubbar and Umm al-Maradira, is recog­ oz. is only used by the local Customs for import
nised as belonging to Kuwait. from the desert and that of 9 lbs. 4-44 oz., only for
The tract of country bounded on the north by the sale of fish, and beyond this mention of them
the southern portion of the Kuwait frontier as no further notice will be taken of them here. The
described above, on the east by the sea, and the tcaqiyh of 1 lbs. 10-22 oz. is used by the local Customs
west by the Shaqq, and on the south by the straight for sea imports, and i3 universally used in the town.
line running due east from the .Shaqq through A larger weight is the tnann of which there are five
’Ain al-’Abd to the sea north of Ras al-.Mish‘ab, distinct varieties, all based on the xcaqiyah of 4 lbs.
is recognised as common to the two .States of Najd 10-22 oz-, viz. :—
md Kuwait, in which both enjoy equal rights. (1) The mann of 27 xcaqiyahs or 125 lbs. 3-94
The Capital itself has a population of about 50,000 oz. is the local Customs measures for
souls of whom the greatest majority are Arabs. weighing goods for assessment of duty :
The Persian community, however, has greatly it is also used in the town for weighing
increased in recent years and now consists of about all commodities for which there is not a.
10,000 souls. There are over 4.000 negroes, a few special measure.
Jews, and two or three houses of Chaldean Christians (2) The mann of 30 tcaqiyahs or 139 lbs. 2-6
from ’Iraq. Outside the Capital the inhabitants oz. is used for wheat, barley, ‘Iraq rice
of the principality are all Arabs, and are mostly and firewood.
nomads. The only settled villages are Jahrah, (3) The mann of 24 tcaqiyahs or 55 lbs. 10-04
at the head of Kuwait Bay, which has a population oz. is used for sail-cloth only.
of about 500 souls : Failakah village, on the island (4) The mann of 24 icayiyaha or 111 lbs. 5-28 oz.
of the same name at the entrance of Kuwait Bay : is used for clarified butter, fat, salt and
with a similar population : smaller villages of Hawaii, gypsum mortar.
Dimnah, Fantas, Abu Hulaifah, Fuhaihil and (5) The mann of 36 tcaqiyahs or 166 lbs. 15-92
Shu’aibah to the south and south-east of Kuwait.
oz. is used for wheat and barley when
imported from Basrah. 20 manns of the
Currency.
last-named variety or approximately
Kuwait has no currency of its own. Indian 3,340 lbs. make one Taghar. Firewood
Rupees and smaller coins are used in the town, and is normally sold by the rafa * of 4 mann#
accounts are kept in Indian currency: but Maria of 30 tcaqiyahs or 5,556 lbs. 10-4 oz.