‘Persia – especially Seistan’ [‎21r] (40/949)

GENERAL REPORT ON BRITISH TRADE AND ENTERPRISE.
7
expected to make greater progress. But these southern provinces have not
the advantage of protected markets in which to sell their produce at artificial
prices.
Our imports into Khorassan were formerly destined in part for Trans-
caspia, to which they entered until a few years ago at an ad valorem duty of
i\ per cent. Some of our cotton tissues and tea found a market there which
is now cut off. A special concession is still made to Transcaspia in respect of
green tea, but in such a manner as to divert this transit trade from Bunder
Abbas and Khorassan to Batoum.
I have endeavoured to trace, in the foregoing remarks, the principal causes
which have affected the foreign trade of Persia in recent years, and.the results
arising from them. The agricultural development of Northern Persia, due to
greater facilities in reaching Russian and other markets and to protection of
Persian products in Russian markets, has certainly increased the wealth of
these provinces, and therefore their capacity to purchase commodities.
Russia has no doubt obtained the greatest part of this increased import trade,
but if we eliminate one commodity, sugar, her relative progress in import
trade will appear much less striking, and be found to have consisted in an in
crease of manufactured articles, principally cotton tissues, glassware, pottery,
iron, ironmongery, etc.
No improvement in communications would have sufficed to increase Russian
exports of manufactured goods to Persia unless she had been able to supply
these articles. It has been constantly pointed out to me that Russia’s manu
facturing skill has made great progress. Her common pottery now competes
not only in price but in appearance and quality with other imports. Her
common glassware competes on equal or superior terms with Bohemian and
French wares of the same class. Her metalwork—lamps, candlesticks,
enamelled-ironware—is stated to be much better in quality and finish at a given
price than formerly. It. is of course in cotton prints that her competition is
most felt by us. Our tissues have to some extent been driven out of the
northern provinces, and the fact that our imports do not show a marked
decrease must be attributed to the increased consumption in other parts of
the country compensating for markets lost further north.
I have formed the conclusion that Russian prints have not established a
distinct ascendancy beyond such markets at Tabriz, Kazvin, Teheran, and
Meshed. It may be questioned whether the trade really affords a sufficient
margin of profit between the cost of production and transport and the price
paid by the consumer; but without doubt it has been pressed most vigorously,
and competent authorities, both Russian and British, have expressed an opinion
that it has been pressed to excess, and that stocks have accumulated beyond
the needs of the market.
A Russian firm have been established in Ispahan for some two years past.
They may or may not be making present sacrifices in order to establish this
»business in general cotton prints and tissues, but should they be able to
establish a business dependent on ordinary mercantile profits, then there is no
reason why Russian manufacturers should not be able to compete with
Manchester in all parts of Persia—and even in Mesopotamia and India—for
the cost of transport from Moscow to Ispahan via Enzeli or via Bushire (with
State-aided freight) is about the same. Up to the present time our shippers
in the Gulf have not found this competition formidable.
It is stated that Russian manufacturers are asking for an increrse in the
drawback allowed on cctton tissues, on the ground that the present allowance
does not cover the taxes levied on the commodities consumed by their work
men. A drawback on woollen tissues is also talked of. Whether the Russian
Government will be inclined to give effect to such suggestions is beyond the
province of this inquiry. It may at least have to consider the effect on the
non-manufacturing population in Caucasia and Transcaspia of increasing
the marked contrast between the price of certain commodities in these places
and across the Persian frontier. In Persia, tea, sugar, kerosine, prints and
calicoes are all cheaper than in the Russian markets from which they are
derived.