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Ext 329/43(2) ‘SHIPMENT OF DATES TO PERSIAN GULF STATES’ [‎17r] (33/226)

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The record is made up of 1 file (111 folios). It was created in 6 Mar 1943-5 May 1945. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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■■■■Hi
:VVT, T SFuM
Nc» 2258
To : M.V/.T* London
Prom : ]\1ESC
*h> f - o-rtf) •
Dated: ^th April 1944,
pu ;
hrvi*
Addressed to M/T London No, 2258 Saving, rptd, Baghdad
No, 279 Saving,
IRAQI DATES
V ' • * ..
194 ^ l e K enerall y agreed that the working of the Date Control Scheme in
1.43 was not wholly successful and it is desirable that we should now try to utilise
the lessons learned before entering into the 1944 Control Scheme,
rjfic; 2 *, ^ he f^ors which made Murchison’s task unnecessarily difficult
' t he -ate date at which he entered the Basra market. We consider that
Mn'S g sho ^ ld . be ranged by August 15th at the veiy latest in order that
^ ^ C ^ S ° n riay position to commence his buying operations from that date,
that 13 abs J lute;i y essential that all boxshooks necessary for handling,
hv + 6 . Basra date cr °P * hi0h it is decided to case, should be in Basra
arrana la unde 5 ’ stand half the consignment is already coming forward and
arrangements should now be made to ship, the second half as soon as- possible.
is Bur t her necessary that exact programming should be drawn up by
mi iugus , So far we have not made .any definite approach to the Territories
to find out their needs for 1944. Until questions of price etc., have been '
L saGh _ an approach^may be unprofitable as the Territories are somewhat sore
ov^r the failure to obtain early delivery of dates this last season. However,
is approach to the Territories must be made as soon as possible and we should
endeavour to have at least preliminary quotas allocated by end July.
Bxp^iience has shown tha.t if Andrew Weir’s selling price is too high
compared with the buying price from the cultivator, it will simply l^ad to
smuggling as smugglers will be able to deliver the dates in the neighbouring
territories at a price considerably below that offered by Andrew Weir. Great
care should therefore be•taken to limit profits to a minimum.
5, we understand that the Sheikh, of Koweit has his gardens near Pao at the
mouth of the 3hatt-el-Arab and therefore it would seem uneconomic to ship these
a es up to Basra and for Koweit to have to draw dates from Basra for the town of
Koweit. We therefore suggest that an arrangement be come to with the Sheikh of
oweit that he shall pay his fair taxes to the Iraq Government but that his dates
should be free to^move* direct over into the town of Koweit. It will have to be
agreed what quantity of dates arc thus involved and this would be deducted from the
Koweit quota,
v /lu x N0t 0nly mUst P° lic M as regards Basra dates be settled by August 15th,
but that regarding Euphrates dates should also be settled at the same time. It is
possible that the holders of Euphrates dates may find that considerable quantities of
their stocks will go bad on their hands this year owing to the long delay in
iquidating these stocks. They may therefore be more ready to come into a pool
scheme at the_commencement of the year, and every effort should be made to have
Euphrates basic prices fixed not later than August 15th.
7 * . 0ncQ G 11 have been agreed with Territories, it must be made a two-sided
bargain. Not only must Ministry of Food undertake to deliver these dates at a
reasonable time to the Territories, but the Territories must guarantee to take up
their quotas provided these quotas are offered at a treasonable time and at the
agreed price. Otherwise all planning becomes impossible, 1 •
3. ydiile Murray and Jourdain wore in Bagdad a representative.of Andrew Weir
stated^in open meeting that Andrew Weir would hold MESC responsible for any
financial losses which might be incurred owing to non-allocation of the 25,©rvo tons
which Andrew weir ore stated to have bought lately from the Euphrates growers in
Bagdad. This was of course refuted immediately as being entirely baseless, any '
agreement regarding purchases etc., of the dates being between Ministry'of Food an<
anc c i r « Eartlier we have understood that Andrew Weir were specifically
ins rue ed nly 1,0 buy dates in Bagdad within the limitations of transport *
available. However, not only in this instance but vis-a-vis the Territories awiq,
A<

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Content

The file is concerned with the supply of dates to the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. States – Bahrain, Kuwait, and the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. – via a co-ordinated purchasing scheme in Iraq operated by the Ministry of Food through their agents Andrew Weir and Company.

The main correspondents are as follows: the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. (Sir Charles Geoffrey Prior), officials of the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. , officials of the Middle Eastern Supply Centre, officials of the Ministry of Food, officials of the Ministry for War Transport, and occasionally representatives of the Government of India.

The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.

Extent and format
1 file (111 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.

The subject Ext 329/43 (Supply of Food to the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ) consists of three files: IOR/L/PS/12/786-788.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 113; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.

Written in
English in Latin script
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Ext 329/43(2) ‘SHIPMENT OF DATES TO PERSIAN GULF STATES’ [‎17r] (33/226), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/788, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100044115568.0x000022> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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