Coll 30/29 'Persian Gulf, Kuwait: Trade Reports 1930/31 to 19..' [‎69r] (137/408)

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improved during the year owing to the facilities
afforded by motor transport in taking the products
into town. The village has over 2,500 date trees,
under which wheat, barley and lucrene, melon,
water melons, pumpkins, beans and some other
vegetables are grown in increasing quantities. The
above crops are mostly irrigated but a small amount
'^of wheat and barley is grown by rainfall alone.
The agriculture of Jahrah might be considerably
increased if more money were sunk in it. The
second most important agricultural centre is the
Island of Failakah where wheat and barley are
grown with some success on the clayey patches.
The island also produces vegetables especially car
rots which are of an exceptionally line quality
but the agriculture is generally inferior to that of
Jahrah.
15. As will be seen from what has been said above,
from an agricultural point of view the value of land
in Kuwait is very little. Except in case of land
surrounding the town, which can be useful for
building purposes, land is free and everybody is at
liberty to take up any unoccupied piece and develop
it.
The Kuwait Government keeps no records of land
holdings, nor is any land revenue charged to the
cultivators.
Except, therefore, for a few of the tracts of land
in the environs of the town, which are held by
private owners and which change hands as any
other property does, land is not hypothecated.
(F) Industry.
16. General. —As has been already stated Kuwait
has no industries worth the name, of her own. The
reasons for this state of affairs are as under :—
(а) Shyness of Capital.
(б) Limited and uncertain market.
(c) Influx of cheap Japanese goods as a result
of low customs duty, which tends to
kill industrial initiative.
17. The only manufactures of which Kuwait can
boast are as follows :—
(a) A cloth called “ Darry Bisht ”, which is
manufactured as a cottage industry by
a primitive type of handloom and is
exclusively used for making c ‘ Bisht ”
or Arab cloaks (known also as ‘ Abbas).
This cloth is woven from sheep’s wool
and the thread is spun locally by poor
classes of Arabs as a sort of spare time
job. It is usually available in lengths
of 6 to 6£ yards, which cost one an average
from £0-10-8 to £0-13-4 a piece. A roll
• or piece, sufficient for one cloak, takes
from 4 to 10 days to weave.
(6) Kuwait is well known over the whole of the
Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. for boat (sailing) building.
Figures regarding number and tonnage
of boats built during the year under
report appear on page 1 of Part I of this
Report.
(c) Fish Oil, boat sails, ropes, etc., etc., are
also manufactured for local use.
18. New Industries Introduced. —Nil.
19. Government Encouragement. —Nil.
20. Use of Electricity in Industry. — In view of
extremely backward state of industry the use of
electricity in manufacture is unknown, and is hardly
likely to develop for some years at least if ever.
23. Demand for Foreign Machinery. —Demand for
foreign machinery is insignificant. The only machi
nery used is in motor boats and launches of wdiich
about a dozen exist at Kuwait.
22. Development of Mines. —Kuwait is, as far as
is known, very poor in mineral resources. The only
mineral product is gypsum mortar, which is manu
factured by the simple process of firing rubbish
in broad shallow excavations. There is a large
gypsiferous tract on the outskirts of Kuwait town
and it is found in several other parts of the prin
cipality.
No. 2 well of the Kuwait Oil Company (a half
American half British concern) which hold the con
cession for exploration and development of oil in
Kuwait territory, produced oil of good quality and
pressure during the period under review.
(G) Communications and Transport.
23. General. —As mentioned elsewhere the chief
means of transport between Kuwait and other
ports of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. is by the local dhows
engaged in overseas trade carrying, as distinguished
from pearl fishing, etc., or by the steamers of the
British India Steam Navigation Company, which
call here fortnightly.
Besides the above and a motor road between
Kuwait and Basra and another from Kuwait to
Riyadh there are no regular roads. This is due to
the fact that the interior though it consists of flat
and generally hard desert which can be traversed
in nearly every direction by motor cars, is not at
all an easy country to travel in. The great obstacle
is complete lack of supplies and extreme scarcity of
water.
The only regular means of transport is by camel
along definite routes.
24. Advent of the Motor Car.—In view of the
undeveloped state of the hinterland it has not
hitherto been found either convenient or profitable
to employ motor as a means of transport. The
motor service between Kuwait and Basra carried
passengers only. Camel, therefore, as already stated,
still remains the chief and indispensable menus of
transport.