Reports and Correspondence Relating to Persia, Including Trade and Trade Routes in Persia [‎23r] (45/252)

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PRINCIPAL ARTICLES OF COMMERCE.
4*
colours, and that these qualities were appreciated by the working
class.
Russian prints are manufactured of 23 to 25-inch width, the
red-ground prints all at 23-inch. It is therefore difficult to com
pare prices with British imports, and the retail buyer seems to
make his choice between articles quoted at the same price per
yard, roughly setting off the stouter material and reputed faster
colouring of the Russian against the superior width of the British
article. If the British manufacturer can reduce his price in
direct proportion to width, it would be interesting to see an active
importer try conclusions with Russian traders in their own widths.
The Russian prints are largely imported in assorted bales
containing a selection of different qualities, colours, and designs
suited to the supposed needs of the retail trader. Thus, a manu
facturer producing 14 qualities will pack these in fixed proportions
into bales. The bale for Persia will consist of 20 pieces of
6p arshines each, or 1,200 arshines of assorted prints at an average
value, Moscow, of, say, 12 copecks (less 14 per cent, discount) per
arshine. The bale will weigh, say, 4 pouds net, on which the draw
back will be at Rbls. 4- 87^, Rbls. 19*50, the expenses, Moscow
to Tabriz, Rbls. 8, insurance 1 per cent., and Persian duty krs. 27.
Specimen invoices of red-ground prints from Moscow to Tabriz
and a description of the assortment of bales will be found in Annex
I., pp. 88-89.
Opinion is divided as to how this method of assortment will
ultimately succeed in Persia. It is, perhaps, an advantage to an
inexperienced retail dealer, and may thus help to f push new trade.
British importers consider it quite unsuited to their business.
Several importers have observed that it is difficult to get
Manchester manufacturers to take orders for less than, say, 100
pieces of a particular article, whilst the Russian makers appear to
execute orders for small quantities. They do not object to the
loss of a small profit, but to the necessity of refusing to oblige a
regular customer in respect of an article he is accustomed to have
in stock.
Local customs and usages in the textile trade are referred to in
another Section of this Report, and a statement of the prices of
goods will be found in the list of samples forwarded (pp. 68-69).
Cotton Thread, Yarns, and Twist.
Total imports— £
Number in
Table of
Statistics.
59
1901- 02 ... ... 125,764
1902- 03 ... 98,919
The import of cotton sewing thread is surprisingly small, and
is chiefly via Trebizond and Tabriz. Tabriz was formerly supplied
from Great Britain, two firms alone disposing of some 250 to 300
cases per annum, but the market has now been taken by Germany,
whose manufacturers sent out bobbins with 150 yards or less of
thread, but of the same size as the British 200-yard bobbins.
The Persian consumer did not at first understand the difference
in number of yards, though correctly marked, and in any case
preferred the smaller price. A British maker is now supplying
reels marked at 150 yards, which are finding a market. There is
only a small trade by the Gulf routes, the reason assigned in
Ispahan being that most of the sewing is done with silk from
Resht twisted locally by Jews
The trade in cotton yarns is almost exclusively British and
British Indian, and the imports are chiefly by Gulf ports.
Azerbaijan imports direct vid Trebizond but also receives
large quantities from Hamadan. Manchester grey water yarn,
Nos. 16 to 24, is re-twisted and dyed for sewing, stocking making,
G.