Coll 28/67 ‘Persia. Annual Reports, 1932–’ [‎39r] (77/644)

75
conditions with which the company has had to contend, while it is also true that
a good deal of the oil shipped in 1931-32 was extracted the year before :—■
1931-32.
1930-31.
Anglo-Persian Oil Company—
£
£
Non-dutiable imports
478,229
2,968,386
Dutiable imports
563,851
217,869
Total imports
1,042,080
3,186,255
Local expenditure ...
397,500
939,000
Royalty (payable in 1932 and
1,439,580
4,125,255
1931) ...
Note.— That for 1931-32 was
refused by the Persian
Government as inadequate.
307,000
1,228,000
1,746,580
5,353,255
Oil shipments (in tons)
4,995,308-5 (cargoes)
5,073,512
416,155-9 (bunkers)
375,710
5,411,464-4
5,449,222
Imports (1931-32).
433. Owing to the fact that, consequent on the introduction of the quota
system in June 1931, the economic year now runs from June to June, the Persian
Customs do not propose to publish any detailed statistics for the foreign trade
of the country during the year ended March 1932. The task of culling figures
from the bulletins which are published by the Customs monthly is extremely
arduous, and it has only been attempted in the case of textiles, which still form
the major imports from the United Kingdom into Persia. The results of this
investigation are given below.
434. It will be remembered that for 1930-31 the surprising increase in the
trade of the United Kingdom, amounting to 18 per cent, on a kran basis—in
spite of a 21 • 5 per cent, fall in the import of Manchester goods—was attributed
to the substantial increase in the imports of British machinery, tools, metals, &c.,
effected by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. As has already been seen, these
imports were very much restricted in 1931—32, while imports of British cottons
were only very slightly higher on a kran basis than those of the year before, and
decidedly lower when’'measured in sterling. According to the figures published
in the foregoing section (“the Balance of Trade —cf I able II), the imports
of the country as a whole were down 15 per cent., when calculated in sterling,
and there is little doubt that (largely owing to the reduced Anglo-Persian Oil
Company’s imports) the United Kingdom s and British Empire s peicentage of
the total import trade was slightly lower than the year before.
(i) Cotton Goods .—Imports during the year ended the 22nd March, 1932,
of all denominations of cotton piece-goods, which formed 27-7 per cent, of the
total imports, showed an increase of 17'4 per cent, on a kian basis, and on a
sterling basis a decrease of 10 per cent. Russia, who increased hei impoits by
24-6 per cent., was the largest importer, with 53-7 per cent, of the total, as
compared with 50-6 per cent, in the previous year; the United Kingdom, whose
imports were increased by 15 per cent., only accounted for 19-9 per cent., as
compared with 23 1 per cent.; India, with an increase of 211 per cent., claimed
15 per cent as compared with 14-5 per cent.; Japan, who increased her imports
by no less than 163-6 per cent., took 6-5 per cent., as compared with 2-9 per cent ;
Italy’s imports showed a decrease of nearly 33 per cent., her share of the total
beimr 4-1 per cent., against 6-4 per cent. A strong attack on the cotton P 1 ^ 6 "
rood's market was made by Japan in 1932. Southern Persia was supplied
through the Gulf ports, whilst Tehran was principally fed from Bagdad.
Except for the higher grades of shirtings, poplins, &c., which remain a monopoly
of the United Kingdom, it seems probable that the Manchester trade will m
future be seriously affected by the double menace from Russia and Japan.