Page 9 - 4 Persian Trade rep KUWAIT 2_Neat

Report on the Trade of Kuwait for the year 1925-26

(1st April 1925 to 31st March 1926)
BY
Major J. C. More, ds.o..
Political Agent, Kuwait.

The Principality of Kuwait and its Inhabitants. desert. The value of Maria Theresa Dollars averaged
Rupees 165-1-3 per 100 Dollars during the period
The frontier line of Kuwait is as follows :—
under review.
Starling from the Southern portion of Ras al- y.B.—The conversion of the trade figures in this report b
Qulai’ah (42 miles from Kuwait), with the town as made at the rate of Ra. 15 per £ thoughout.
centre it describes an arc towards the West until
it intersects 29° latitude, and from this point runs Weights and Measures.
in a straight line to the Batin, opposite the junction The ordinary unit of weight is the tcaqiyal of
of the Wadi al-’Aujah with the Batin. The line which there are three kinds; viz., one of 4 lbs.
then rans Northward along the Batin to a point 10*22 oz.; another of 4 lbs. 15*168 oz.; and a third
just South of the latitude of Safwan : then Eastward, of 9 lbs. 4*44 oz.; being respectively the weight of
passing just South of Jabal Sanam, Safwan and 75, 80 and 150 Maria Theresa Dollars on which coin
Umrn Qasr, and so on to the junction of Khuwair the icaqiyah is based. The icaqiyah of 4 lbs. 15-168
with the Khaur ’Abdullah. The territory enclosed oz. is only used by the local Customs for import,
within this line and the Persian Gulf, together with from the desert and that of 9 lbs. 4*44 oz., only for
the island of Warbah. Bubiyan, Maskan, Failakah. the sale of fish, and beyond this mention of them no
’Auhah, Kubbar and Umm al-Maradim, is recog­ further notice v. ill be taken of them here. The
nised as belonging to Kuwait. icaqiyah of 4 lbs. 10-22 oz. is used by the loepd
The tract, of country bounded on the North by the Customs for sea imports, and is universally cs<*d
Southern portion of the Kuwait frontier as described in the town. A larger weight is the maun of which
above, cn the East by the sea, and the West by the there are five distinct varieties, all based on the
Shaqq, and on the South by the straight line running •caqiyah of 4 lbs. 10-22 oz. riz. :—
due East from the Shaqq through ’Ain al-*Abd to (1) The maun of 27 icaqiyahs, or 125 lbs. 3-94
the sea North of Ras al Mish’ab, is recognised as oz., is the local Customs measure for
common to the two States of Xajd and Kuwait*, weighing goods for assessment of duty;
in which both enjoy equal rights. it is also used in the town for weighing
The Capital itself has a population of about 50.000 all commodities for which there is not
souls of whom the groat majority are Arabs. The a special measure.
Persian community, however, has greatly increased (2) The maim of 20 «ruqiyahs or 139 lbs. 2*6 oz..
in recent years aud now consists of about 10,000 is used for wheat, barley, ’Iraq rice and
souls. There are over 4,000 Negroes, a few Jews, firewood.
and two or three houses of Chaldean Christians from (3) The maim of 12 vaqiyahs or 55 lbs. 10*64 oz.,
Traq. Outside the Capital the inhabitants of 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
The only settled villages are Jahrah, at the Head of oz., is used for clarified butter, fat, salt
Kuwait Bay, which has a population of about 500 and gypsum mortar.
souls; Failakah village, on the island of the same (5) The maim of 36 icaqiyahs or 166 lbs. 15-92
name at the entrance of Kuwait Bay ; with a similar oz., is used for wheat and barley when
population; smaller village of Hawaii, Dimnah, imported from Basrah, 20 matins of the
•Fantas, Abu Hulaifah, Fuhaihil and Shu’aibah to last named variety or approximately
the South aud South-Eist of Kuwait. 3,340 lbs. make one Taghar.
Firewood is normally sold by the raja of 4 maims
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 laiah of 100 mat pm
Rupees and smaller coins are used in the town, and of 24 icaqiyahs or 11,133 lbs. The toim ka.ah it
accounts are kept in Indian currency ; but Maria also used for date palm branches in which ser.6c it
Theresa Dollars are used for all dealings with the means 1.000 branches.