‘Persia – especially Seistan’ [‎19v] (37/949)

4
REPORT ON TRADE OF PERSIA.
The most cultivated, populous, and prosperous provinces of Persia in
modern times lie nearer to the Caspian than to the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . Ispahan is
about equidistant Our commerce, therefore, has to penetrate far inland
to arrive at the best markets.
We long ago established law and order in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , giving our
trade secure access to Bunder Abbas and Bushire, which, on the opening*of the
Suez Canal proved better bases for transport to Central and Eastern Persia than
Trebizond. British enterprise also established a steamer service to Bagdad,
opening another trade route to Hamadan. The great impetus given to our
trade by these measures was already evident some 10 or 15 years ago, and
further facilities for reaching new, or lessening time or cost of transport to
existing, markets have not arisen. But it is during the last decade that
measures tending to increase Russian trade with Persia have produced
results.
The conquest of Transcaspia enabled the Persian province of Khorassan to
devote itself in security to the agricultural development of its fertile soil, and
the opening of the Transcaspian railway provided an outlet for these products,
which could not afford the long and costly transport to the Gulf.
Meantime the manufacturing centres of Russia—formerly more distant in
time and cost of transport, through the vast extent of Russia itself, from Persian
markets than we were—have been brought gradually nearer by improved
steamer and rail communications. Water-borne transport by the Volga and
Caspian has long existed, but has been accelerated and cheapened. It is
available however for the summer months only. Petrovsk and Baku now
afford transport by rail the whole year round at freights only slightly higher
than by the Volga route.
The construction of the Batoum-Baku Railway and the Akstafa-Julfa
road opened to Odessa and Black Sea ports a trade route to Azerbaijan superior
in time and cost of transport to the Trebizond route, from which European
merchandise for Persia was quickly diverted to it; but this door was soon
barred to imports not of Russian origin.* The superiority of this route
increases as the railway from Tiflis, now open to Envan, extends to the
frontier at Julfa, which it is expected to reach within two years.
All these measures of improved communication have been justified by
the development of the Russian territories which they have penetrated and
benefited, but they have equally served to facilitate both import and export
trade with Persia.
The merchandise which can be most quickly supplied to a depleted
market reaps the best profit. There is also a saving of interest and a more
rapid turn-over of capital when goods take a shorter time in transit. The
improvement in communications wnth Russia has materially reduced the time
occupied in transport, and Russian merchandise now arrives in the markets
of northern Persia perhaps three months or less from date of order, whilst our
goods can seldom reach the same destinations within five or even six months
of order.
Russia possesses in the Armenian trader a suitable agent to press trade in
the somewhat limited markets of Persia. He is a keen trader, living in the
fashion of the country at small expense, and speaking and writing the language
of both the Russian Armenian and of the Persian with whom he deals.
For years past Russia has opposed a formidable Customs tariff to the
import of many foreign commodities, but Persia has been protected against
this tariff by the five per cent, ad -valorem duties of the Turkomanchai treaty,
and some of her products will continue to be protected under the existing
Russo-Persian Customs Convention. It is almost surprising that Persian
exports to Russia have not increased in greater measure. With a similar
advantage we might have competed at Moscow -did Bushire and Enzeli in
those red ground prints now being driven out of Teheran by the Russian
article. The most important exports to Russia are fruits, cotton and rice
representing a million sterling annually.
♦ Exp orts to Europe continue to benefit, perhaps at the expense of imports, which
returning unfreighted caravans to Trebiaond.
have to bear the cost of