'Mesopotamia' [‎64v] (128/152)

118
ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
No. 92
working with British machinery. A British firm had
set up an engineering workshop, and had also started
motor-cars and 'buses daily between Baghdad and
Bakuba (31 miles). German success in sewing-
machines has been considerable. The great increase in
1913 in imports of iron and steel was mainly for use
on the Baghdad Kailway. Both Germany and France
had, in 1914, sent representatives to study the market.
There will no doubt be a large opening for trade in
machinery in the near future, particularly in motor
ploughs, threshing-machines, and otjher agricultural
machinery.
Wood. —The chief import under this heading is date-
boxes. At one time these came almost entirely from the
Bukovina, and were shipped at Fiume, but recently
Sweden and Norway have begun to compete. The wood
is imported in cut lengths ready to be nailed together
in Basra. The transport of date-boxes was before the
war falling more and more into German hands, as
many as 173,000 being carried by them in 1912. A
trial shipment from Mysore (State Forest Depart
ment) proved unsuccessful, as the boxes were too
heavy, the workmanship was inadequate, and the
Department could neither turn out sufficiently large
quantities nor compete with German freights.
For boat-building Malabar wood is chiefly used, and
is imported roughly sawn into the shapes required, as
sawing is very costly in Mesopotamia. Planks for
other purposes came largely from Russia (Odessa wood)
and India. In 1913 Russia supplied nearly all, owing
to an increase in the price of Indian teak. There has
been a large increase in the import of planks, dtie to
building activity in Baghdad and elsewhere.
Poles and rafters were originally brought from
Kurdistan, but the Kurd hillsides being now nearly
stripped of timber, cheap Russian wood was being
imported in its place. India should be able to export
her wood advantageously to Mesopotamia in the
native sailing-vessels which go to fetch dates.
Woollen Goods—In 1906 a considerable impetus was