Page 291 - 7 Persian Trade rep Muscat 1_Neat

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3fi.lt,912 \hd in the year under report they dispatch to Hosg-Kong for the China market
furthor red aced to Rs. 2 1,00,029, causing a Business methods in this respect aro, however*
v^ere
considerable shrinkage in the Customs revenues. unsatisfactory since it takes an exporter one year
or even two years before ho can determine what his
Imports. proGls have been.
The main imports aro rice, cotton goods, and Shark and ray Gth are conmOa along the
coffee, which arc responsible for Rs. 20,47,703 of whole coast as well as porpoise-*, and these- fish
to take the place of butcher's meat with the
the ‘ wholo total; 6iignr, wheat and oilman seem
stereo arc also largely imported. por of the sea-coast population.
Rico is a main article of diet., and since little is Openings for New Trade..
grown in the country, it always constitutes the
t!i-j main import. Indeed it ir.ay be said that In the present condition of affairs no new
the native of Oman exchanges his chief product openings can exist. If the main imports and
of dates for rice from India and for cotton goods. experts of dates, rice, cotton gocd=, etc., i.e., the
America and Japan are serious competitors in necessities of foo l and clothing, are subtracted, it
the latter trade," though ail goods aro shown will be seen that the total remaining is small.
as imported from India. The people of the country are pc:r,but hava no
in.entire to work cr to improve their condition,
It is one of the difficulties in submitting a
report cf value to importers tia' India being fhe feed is easily cou.e by, labour is plentiful, and the
middleman, all goods arc imjo.'hd from Karachi date crop, which provides a living, demands but
or Bombay and shown as from that country. two months hard work during the year. Added
to this the cl invite induces laziness and thus no
Duriig the war Japan is bevoming more and new demand is created.
more the source of imports ia cottou goods,
When the count.-/ is develop 1 new require­
matches, glass ar.d miscelJanoou.s goods. ments will spring up,lbut, I for the moment, the
It is hoped ic the following year’s report to only thiug which cr-.n be suggested is a tins;Dg
deal with this more in detail. factory ior sardines which might well repay
capital expended.
Exports.
There u?ed to be one European firm the name
Experts, which iu normal years may be taken of which continues under native management.
at Its. 49,00,000, show a reduction of some 25 Ths place could certainly support cue firm imder
per cent, totalling this year P.=. 31,45,10S, which European management.
is, however, an advance of R.?.. 3,22,279 on the
preceding year. This is party due to the export Freights and Shipping.
of specie, hut also to a large rise* in certain trades
as noted below. The figures relating to these matters are given
The main expert is dates, the production of in the usual form. They have beera obtained from
which c-rnstilules the work of the greater part of the Consular records and frem information
the population. supplied through the courtesy of Messrs. Towc-ll
The fgnres this year show a continued rise in & Co.
the export of locally woven coo ton goods. The Steamers.—Tie pert was, with the exception
inhabitants of Oman weave an excellent hand of two Swedish vessels, visited only by British
made cotton cloth which is used for turbans shawls ships. The regular mail British India Steam
or as a skirt wrapped around she waist (trousers Navigation Company's steamer called weekly
are not worn in Oman). This cloth, made in throughout the year with the occasional visit
colours or in white, with gaily striped silk or of the slow mail represents practically the whole
eotton birders, appears again to be acquiring total of 69 vessels. There was no other line
popularity in Zanzibar and quantities are also with a regular calk
exported to Aden. Sailing Vessels.—There is no available infor­
There has been an upward curve in the export mation regarding callings or leavings of sailing
in the various kinds of dried fish, an industry vessels, other than those flying the British flag,
whiih coxld well bo extended in Oman with its though the port is v isited by large numbers of
length of sca-ccast teeming with fish of every locally owned vessels and also by some from
kind. Present exports consist of dried sardines Persian Gulf ports and the Red Sea littoraL
and other fish and of shark finis and ray fish, Toes figures only show those of which a record
which are 6cnt to Bombay a.nd Colombo for is kept in the British Consulate, Laying deposited