File 1283/1913 Pt 5 'MESOPOTAMIA TRADE Issue of new Trade Report' [‎64r] (123/270)

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the attraction of purchasing goods in Russia and Germany where
the exchange value of the currency is at a very low ebb^ as
there must be many things that have not risen in price nearly
as much as the currency has fallen in value in silver, be it
rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. or Krazis*«»»» Tt has been indicated above that encourage
ment of trade 'betvveen Northern Persia and the continent by the
northern land route will reflect on our trade here.
As a result of over four years in this country^ I
have formed the opinion that the British Merchants in this
fcountry are too conservative ana too wedded to old conditions
and channels of Dusinesstand for this reason thinx that much
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useful work might be done by commercial travellers who would
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come out with samples and mahe personal enquiries^ ana then at
the same time arrange with one of the loca^ firms or banxs to
import and finance the transaction. There inust oe many aen in
the bazar who w r ould be willing to buy a fair consignment of
goods if they were introduced to the man who would show them
the goods ana then arrange for the importing of them. My feel
ing is that there is too much of a tendency for Messrs. A. B.
Smith & Go. of Basrah to say.-.’Tf you want a consignment of
blank from England we will get them through our Messrs. 0. D.
Smith & Co."j ana then to charge a commission for themselves
and another for their London House. Commercial travellers are
not unknown in Mesopotamia, out those who come are usually of
the type who content themselves with seeing their particular,
agents and then going off to some other part of the East, These
agents are not in my opinion lively to do much more than sit
in their offices and oe prepared to supply the particular com
modity in which the traveller was interested if called upon and
asked to do so. f I was much struck by the representative of
•one of the large typewriter firms who was discussing various
firms as possible agents for Mesopotamia^and who^ in referring
to one of the principal firms here who had tried to get the