File 1407/1918 'Kowait Trade Reports. (1911-1930)' [‎163r] (330/746)

Steamers owned or chartered by the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
Steam Navigation Company, Limited, (13) H. M. H.
Nemazi (8 including 4 Japanese), the Eastern Steam
Navigation Company, Limited, (4) H. M. Muhammad
Shirazi (1) and Khandwani Steamship (1) also called
on the way from India as inducement offered.
All steamers entering the port were sailing under
the British flag.
The rate of freight by the British India Steam
Navigation Company’s steamers was £1-8-6 through
out the year to Karachi and Bombay.
The average rate of freight by the other lines was
£1 per ton from Bombay and 18s. per ton from
Karachi.
Sea Fisheries.
The only truly local produce of Kuwait is that
yielded by the harbour fisheries, which are a valuable
asset. Besides float-and-weight nets and lines, traps
or tidal weirs, constructed of reed hurdles are
also employed, the fish enter them with the flowing
tide and are left behind at the ebb. The majority
of the fish caught is consumed locally, but a small
proportion is dried and exported to Basrah and else-
where.
Boat Building.
14 boats of an aggregate value of £2,540 were
built during the year. Of these, however, none had
a carrying capacity of over 80 tons, and only six
of over 20 tons. This figure is not included in the
trade tables.
Labour.
The price of labour remained high throughout
the year, an unskilled labourer earned from 4s. to
5s. 4d. a day, a carpenter from 9s. 4d. to 12s.,
a mason from 13s. 4d. to 16s. a day, and a boat
builder from 4s. to 8s.
Minerals.
The only mineral product worked is gypsum mor
tar, which is manufactured by the simple process
of firing rubbish in broad shallow excavations.
There is a large gypsiferous tract on the outskirts
of Kuwait town, and it is found in several other parts
of the principality.
Domestic Animals.
The most valuable domestic animals are camels,
of which there are large numbers, sheep, goats and *
donkeys ; of the latter many of a large white breed,
originally from Hasa, are found in the town. These
are sometimes over thirteen hands in height, and a
good one will fetch over £45. There are also some
horned cattle and horses.
Agriculture.
Neither Kuwait nor its environs can boast of any
agricultural resources. There are no date planta
tions of any value, no fields, and not many kitchen
gardens. A few small villages to the south-east of
Kiiwait supply a limited quantity of vegetables
and melons. The chief agricultural centre in the
principality is Jahrah. The staple crops are wheat,
arley and lucerne, but musk melons, water melons,
pumpkins, beans and some other vegetables are
also grown, and there are some 2,500 date trees.
The above crops are mostly irrigated, but a small
amount of wheat and barley is grown by rainfall
alone. The agriculture of Jahrah might be consi
derably increased if more money were sunk in it.
The next most important agricultural centre is the
island of Tailakah where wheat and barley are grown
with some success op the .clayey patches, also lucerne,
melons and some vegetables. There are some date
trees towards the south nf the island, but they are
not in a flourishing condition, and the agriculture
of the island is'generally' inferior to that of Jahrah.
Rainfall.
The total rainfall during the year was 4' and was
distributed as follows :—
December 1922 • .... 63
January 1923 . . . # ! T96
February 1923 20
March 1923 ..... 1-21
Public Health.
The health of the town was good; the most
prevalent diseases being digestive troubles, tuber
culosis and granular ophthalmia.
Owing to the prevalence of plague at Basrah and
Muhammarah in May and June quarantine restric
tions were imposed on arrivals from those ports.
Months.
April, 1922 .
May, 1922
June, 1922
July, 1922 .
August, 1922.
September, 1922
October, 1922
November, 1922
December, 1922
January, 1923
February, 1923
March, i923 .
Exchange.
Per
Hundred
Maria
Theresa
Dollars.
Per
Sovereign.
Per
Pound
Turkish.
£. s. d.
£. s. d.
£. s. d.
11 14 Ilf
1 3 6f
1 1 0
11 19 5
1 3 2
1 0 7
11 17 5
1 • 2 84
10 2:
11 16 7f
1 2 5f
1 0 1
11 16- 0
1-2 4f
0 19 9
11 19 6
1 2 5f
0 19 10f
12 6- 6
1*2
1 0 2
12 7 lOf
1 2 5|
0 19 10
12 8- 3£
1*2
0- 19 9
11 16 Ilf
1 1 9
0 19 6
11 11 6
1 1
0 19 3
11 14 6
113*/
0 19 2J
J. C. MORE, Major,
Political Ag<ent, Kuwait