'Mesopotamia' [‎65r] (129/152)

Mesopotamia]
IMPORTS 119
. pi ven to the import of these goods owing to ^
troduetion into Persia by the Persian pilgrims. h
use became increasingly popular in the succeeding jeais.
and the trade was recognised as capable ot S 1 "
development. The chief sources of ™ el ® 111
United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and Austna -llun-
gary, the three latter sending cheaiier qualities at
prices with which the British manufacturer could not
compete. German half-mixed woollen cloth was espe-
ciallv popular with the poorer classes.
In 1913 Italy supplanted the United Kingdom as
the greatest supplier of woollen goods. nackae es
Yarn and Twist. —Normally about ^000 pat Rages
are imported, of the value of about £70,000, the sup
pliers being the United Kingdom, Germany, India,
^^unmes, made of jute, and used tor the packing of
goods for mule and camel transport, are imported ho
India The amount imported varies with the expoit
of grain. The average value of the import is about
£75 000. In 1911 it rose to £111,000.
Petroleum was formerly imported ^ ^ ^
from Russia, but a shortage in the supply 0 ^ uss ^
oil in 1906 gave American and Austrian low-grade
oils a chance to get a footing; more than hall Hie pases
imported at Basra in that year were American. In
1907 American and Austro- Hungarian oils were
rapidly advancing in favour at the expense ni Russia,
In 1909 there was still sharp com n ^ lt T 3S ^ ^
American, Austrian, and Rui «ian mis ; Kussia sen
45 000 cases, America 35,000, and Austria 22.000. In
1910 there was a decline in the import of Austrian oil
which in the following year ceased altogether. In 1J1I
two oil steamers brought over American petroleum.
The increasing use of oil engines and e . U mn
lamps were the chief factors in the increased eonsu ^ -
tion. In 1913 the Anglo-Persian Oil Company
reached the producing stage, with Ae /esnilt that the
American imports dropped from ovei 150, ,
in 1912 to 66,000 in 1914, in which year the Angl