‘Diplomatic and Consular Reports. Persia. Report for the Year 1908-09 on the Trade of the Provinces of Seistan and Kain.’ [‎7r] (13/50)

SEISTAN AND KAIN.
11
products, animal and vegetable, wool, feathers, gums, &c., but none of
these are produced in sufficient quantities—except possibly carpets—
to repay the cost of sending out special buyers. Most of the articles
produced are indeed brought to the doors of manufacturers and dealers,
with little or no trouble on their part, by other agencies.
Having pointed out the limitations of these provinces, I would repeat
the opinion expressed in last year’s report that a very fair opening
^exists for a general trading agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. . The kind of business that would
be transacted by an agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. of the kind suggested would be :—
(1) Samples of British and Indian manufactures likely to find a
market in Eastern Persia would be kept on view, and, on a deposit
being made, selected goods would be obtained from India and the
United Kingdom.
(2) Shops would be kept with a stock of articles in everyday
demand.
(3) A business would be made of buying and exporting Ipcal pro
ducts. Particular attention would be paid to the carpets which now
reach the United Kingdom and America via Meshed and Constantinople.
For this purpose the agents should possess expert knowledge on the
subject of carpet manufacture and market conditions in the United
Kingdom, and be prepared, in accordance with the custom of the country,
to advance money to the manufacturers under written agreements.
It may be mentioned that in the Kainat commercial morality in respect
of these carpet contracts is on the whole very much better than might
be expected and might be called good.
(4) It is noteworthy in this connection that though carpet and cloth
weaving looms are numerous in the Kainat and increasing in numbers,
there is not a single factory An East India Company trading post. in Seistan for the manufacture of goods fit
for export, though labour and the necessaries of life are actually cheaper,
while the raw materials are also abundant. The only reason for this is
the absence on the spot of the poplar trees that are used for the beams
of the looms. If this difficulty could be surmounted by the use of
Iron or in some other way, no doubt the establishment of carpet
looms in Seistan would be attended with success.
The cheapness of labour and material (vide Sections XII and XIV)
seems to indicate that the establishment of factories for making cotton
and woollen cloth, handkerchiefs, &c.—possibly silk also—by hand
power looms of the kind now extensively employed in India would be
well repaid.
These things are already manufactured in the Kainat by indigenous
processes, but with few exceptions the methods employed could be
improved on, and, even if they were not, better business principles
would here, as in other parts of Persia, soon enable a foreign firm to
^excel the local factories both in the cheapness and excellence of their
products.
V. The comparative progress of foreign competition .—It is noteworthy
that though Russian trade with Seistan has continued to decline since
the local branch of the Bang tie d* Escompte discontinued its operations
as a goods emporium, Russian trade with the two provinces combined is
steadily increasing. In the statistics given with this report the Russian
goods imported into Seistan and Kain are valued at 18,486?. against