Coll 28/38 ‘Persia. Trade. Trade Tables 1929/30 to’ [‎204r] (407/483)

THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
PERSIA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[E 4041/34/34] No. 1.
Sir R. Hoare to Sir John Simon.—(Received June 19.)
(No. 276.)
Sir, Tehran, June 1, 1934.
WITH reference to my despatch N o. 571 o f the 11th December last, I have
the honour to transmit to you herewith three copies of the tableau general issued
by the Persian Customs Administration for the economic year June 1932 to
June 1933,(*) together with a revised memorandum by the commercial secretary
on the foreign trade of Persia during that year.
2. The memorandum is on the same lines as that forwarded with my despatch
under reference, but certain important alterations were necessary on account of
the wide discrepancies between some of the figures given in the tableau general and
those culled from the preliminary monthly bulletins. The revised figures show that
both imports and exports were lower than indicated in the preliminary returns, and
the adverse balance is higher at 135,500,000 rials (equivalent to about £1,379,000
at the average rate of 98 rials 27 dinars to the £). Both imports from and exports
to the Soviet Union are now shown to have been higher than previously reported.
Similarly, imports from the United Kingdom actually increased from 93,500,000
to 104 million rials (about £1,058,000 at the average rate for the year) and
represented 15*8 per cent, of the total imports instead of 12 per cent, as previously
reported. The corrected figure for imports from India and Ceylon is 74 million
rials instead of 67 million rials.
3. I am sending copies of this despatch to the Department of Overseas
Trade (No. O.T. (B) 81), to the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India to
His Majesty’s Charge d’Affaires, Bagdad (No. 37) and to the hon. the Political
Resident in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (No. 105).
I have, &c.
R. H. HOARE.
June 19, 1934.
Section 3.
Enclosure in No. 1.
Memorandum by the Commercial Secretary, Tehran, respecting Foreign Trade
of Persia in 1932-33.
THE statistics published in the tableau general for 1934 show such wide
divergencies from those obtained from the monthly bulletins and summarised in
my memorandum of the 12th December last that it is necessary to rewrite the
whole memorandum.
The following table shows the general position of imports and exports during
1932-33, and a comparison with the previous year :—
1931-32.
Rials.
Total imports ... ... 669.220,588
Exports of Persian produce
excluding mineral oils ... 718,024,736
Mineral oil exports ... 1,017,948,566
1932-33.
Rials.
657,578,555
522,040,916
1,143,279,000
Total exports ... 1,735,973,302 1,665,319,916
Imports declined by nearly 12 million rials as compared with the previous
year, but exports of Persian produce, other than mineral oils, fell by no less than
196 million rials. It is customary in Persia to assess the balance of trade by
comparing total imports with exports of Persian produce other than oil, and on
this basis there is this year an adverse balance of 135-5 million rials, as compared
with a favourable balance last year amounting to 49 million rials. If, however,
( 1 ) Not printed.
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