‘Persia – especially Seistan’ [‎37r] (72/949)

Number it
Table of
Statistics.
59
PRINCIPAL ARTICLES OF COMMERCE. 39
Large quantities of indigo-dyed shirtings are imported from
India.
Under the heading of Bleached and Unbleached Tissues, refer
ence is made to the manner in which these Mexicans, plain or
indigo dyed, have displaced the home-made kerbaz in these
regions.
Karun .—The business in Muhammerah is largely in the hands
of small Jew traders, dealing much in odd lots and auctioned goods,
which can be placed on the market at low prices.
It may be noticed that previous to the establishment of the
Belgian administration of the Customs, these Jewish traders
combined in an arrangement with the Sheikh of Muhammerah to
compound all duty on their imports for a yearly lump sum of
;£Ti,ooo.
Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .—The Bunder Abbas, Bushire, and, more recently,
Ahwaz routes supply Central Persia, Kerman, Yezd, and
Khorassan. Perhaps 10 per cent, of the imports of cotton tissues
may be in fancy goods, such as tulles, plushes, &c.; the rest are
believed to be pretty equally divided between white and grey
shirtings and dyed and printed tissues. The import of Russian
textiles by their steamers from Odessa to the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. has
had no appreciable effect on British trade in these regions.
A Russian firm has established agencies in Shiraz and Ispahan.
In Shiraz the goods offered by them up to March 1903 did not seem
particularly suited to the market, but were offered at very low
prices. As the firm deals in assorted bales at an average price,
according to the Russian system, a comparison of prices of equal
qualities is not possible.
Persian traders purchase largely from British importers in
Bushire and consign their goods to partners or correspondents in
Shiraz and Ispahan, to compete with the British traders established
in these places. The direct dealings of Persian traders with
Bombay and Manchester are less important.
Ispahan .—Russian printed and dyed goods have now estab
lished a firm footing in Ispahan. The firm alluded to just now is
reported to have sold prints to the value of 20,000/. in the last 18
months (September 1903), and to have contracts running for
delivery of an equal amount. In opening their business they gave
an undertaking, along with their first couple of hundred bales sold,
to receive back any pieces not found suitable for the market.
They have already brought down a large assortment of stuffs, for
a certain part of which they have found a sale apparently at
remunerative prices, and it is said they intend to bring a large
number of sample goods, say half a bale of each kind, to test the
market in many different lines. They sell also for delivery in
Teheran, where they are not represented. This firm does quite
the largest business in Russian goods, such as muslins, prints,
and dyed tissues, black Italians, cotton velvets, &c., but not in
red-ground prints, which are mostly goods of another Russian
firm bought in Teheran, and disposed of on the Ispahan market to
the extent of perhaps 1,000 bales yearly.
Still, although Russian competition is distinctly felt, it has not
made a serious impression on the British trade in Ispahan. The
Ferahan district and Sultanabad still deal largely with Ispahan in
British goods, although Russian prints are also much in evi
dence.
Another competition, perhaps as serious to the Ispahan traders,
and certainly more aggravating, is that from Ramadan. Importers
by that route are apparently able from time to time to place goods
on the Ispahan markets at lower prices than the Ispahan merchant
is willing to accept. An instance was cited of a red twill, which
was found to arrive in Ispahan 5 or 6 krans dearer than the same