Page 354 - 7 Persian Trade rep Muscat 1_Neat

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decrease of £19,213 over last year’s figures. Freight and Shipping.
This amount ir. dudes £101,995 worth imports
earned \*j the Buggalow borne traffic. The figures relating to there matters ire given
The main imports are rice, coffee and cotton in the usual form. They have been obtained from
good3 which aro responsible for £1 86,702 of the the Consular records and from information
whole total; sugar, wheat, wheat floor ore also supplied through the courtesy of Messrs. W. J.
largely imported To well & Coy.
Steamers.
America and Japan aro serious competitors in
picec goods trade though all goods are shown us The port waa with the exception of one steamer
imported from India whence they are shipped to visited only Lv British Ships. Tho B. I. S. N.
Muscat. Company mil steamer did not visit tho port
regularly owing to d<ji«<cihon ^ Service cJue*fe War
69 steamers entered the port during tho year under
Exports.
report, representing a total tonnago of 180,396.
Total Exports for tho year under report 83 vessels cleared tho port representing a tonnago
amounted to £314,351 as compared with of S5,706-25. 188 Sailing vessels representing a
£242,323 last year or an increase of £72,548. tonnage of 174-, 1C*60 entered tho port, 103 sailing
This includes £111,028 worth exports carried by vessels representing a tonnago of 13,915*30
the Buggalow borne traffic as against £108,999 cleared the port.
last year. * The statement below gives the rato of
Dry and wet ditc9 of the value of £198,100 freight
were exported during the year under report, the £
chare carried by sailing craft amoints to Dry dalij to India • .2 per too.
£1*22,510. The export of wet dates to United Wet da!« to India . 1-10 ». „
States of America amouuted to £7,SCO and to Dry £ ah to India • . 1
India £50,826. Fresh fr:;ta to India . . 2-16 . „
Dry fish, specie, tobacco and firewood were also Dried lirzfcj to Pcrsiaa Gdf . 4
largely exported, though of the last it is impossible
to give any figures. Tho demand for firewood on General.
the Pirate Coast in Bahrein and on the Mekran
Coast is high and nearly all comes from the The return of imports and exports are based on
Batinah Coast tie figures compiled from the actual steamer
manifests, access to which las already been given
by the counsey of Messrs. W. J. Towell & Co.,
local agents for most of the shipping companies'
Openings lor New Trade.
vessels calling at Muscat. No figures are avail­
able from the Customs at present. Figures for
None exists at present.
sailing craft entering Muscat and Muttra are
compiled from the Consular records.
Rates of Transport.
No records are available for the large trade of
Transport along the coast is by sailing vessels Snr which presses come SO trading dhows
and is cheap. Transport inland is done by pack voyaging to Basrah, India and the coast of Africa,
animals and is difficult, dangerous and expensive. nor for the not inconsiderable trade of small
The rates of transport depend upon the distance, Batineh coast ports. Competent authority esti­
the goods have to be conveyed and the difficulty mates the total trade of these porta as at least
of the journey. half the trade of Muscat and Muttra.