'189 Trade Report of Bahrain Islands.' [‎174r] (349/756)

REPORT
ON THE
TRADE OF THE BUSHIRE
for the Persian Fiscal year corresponding with period 21st March 1919
to 20th March 1920.
Conditions affecting trade.
The t. ade of the port of Bushire for the period
under review shows an increase in the total
volume of trade of very nearly £300,000 over
that of last year, the whole of which was in
exports, as the imports showed a decrease. The
reason for the increase in exports is probably
the greater security in Pars and on the Bushire-
Shiraz mad owing to the presence of British
Indian Troops at Shiraz and on the road through
out the year. This factor greatly assisted trade,
as did the fact that more shipping was available.
The principal reason for the decrease in imports is*
that very large amounts were imported in the
two previous years to replenish stocks, and the
market became overstocked. Trade was still
hampered by shortage and excessive cost of
European and American manufactured articles;
excessive steamer freights ; shortage of, and high
rate of hire of, transport animals. The Bushire-
Borasjun Railway, originally a purely military
line, was opened to civil traffic in May 1919, ^nd
helped to quicken up trade to Shiraz, but it is too
short to affect the situation very much.
Volume of Trade.
The total trade of the port of Bushire during
the Persian year Qui-Il, corresponding to the
period 21st March 1919 to 20th March 1920,
amounted to £3,641,012 compared with
£3,341,600 in 1918-19 and £3,260,130 in 1917-
18, an increase of 8'96 per cent, and 11‘68 per
cent, respectively.
Of this trade the imports amounted to
£2,723,357, a decrease of £223,093 over the
average of the two previous years, and the exports
to £917,655 an increase of £522,505 over the
average of the two previous years.
The bulk of the imports was from India and
the United Kingdom the former supplying 47’18
per cent, and the latter £6‘42 per cent, making a
total of 736 percent, from the British Empire.
This is a considerable falling off from last year
when the British Empire supplied 93 per cent, of
the imports, but this was only to be expected as
a reversion to more normal conditions. The only
other countries supplying more than 6 per cent,
of th® import* were China and Egypt which sup
plied 5 28 per cent, and 5*06 per cent, respectively.
Of the exports India took the largest propor
tion, 43 - 62 per cent, while the United kingdom
took 6 64 per cent, totalling 60*26 per cent, for the
British Empire. This is a considerable advance on
last year when the British Empire only received
35*44 of the total exports. The places receiving
the next large4 proportion of the exports are
Hongkong with 18*19 percent. andSiguapor® with
10*62 per cent.
Imports.
The imports during 1919-20, as mentioned
above, showed a decrease of £2*23,093—almost the
whole decrease was from India, over £996,000
and from Dutch East Indies £3*2,000. Other
countries showed increases headed by the United
Kingdom with an increase of £239,000.
By far the largest item of decrease in imports
was tea the import of which declined by
£280.281 on the average of the preceding two
years; this more than accounted for the whole de
crease in imports. The reason for it is not clear
unless merchants were holding up in anticipation of
a reduction of duty at the end of the v'ear. Possi
bly also there was an increase of smuggling.
Another large decrease was in the import of rice
which fell to £62,657 ; this was due to the
restrictions on the export of rice from India. A
similar cause reduced the imports of flour by
£ 82,634. The import of indigo decreased by
some £55,000 and of apices by £ 23,271, but the
reason for these decreases is not very clear unless