ملف رقم ١٢٨٣\١٩١٣ الجزء ٥ "التجارة في بلاد الرافدين، إصدار تقرير تجارة جديد" [و‎‎١‎١‎٨] (٢٧٠/٢٣١)

APPENDIX No. IV.
BRITISH AND RUSSIAN TRADE IN PERSIA (1904-05).
The following is a brief analysis of the reports of Mr. H. W. Maclean and Mr. A. H.
Gleadowe-Newcomen, dated 1903 and 1906 respectively, on British and Russian trade
in Persia.
The foreign commerce of Persia, both import and export, had steadily increased
during the decade 1892-1902 to the extent of, perhaps, 20 per cent- The value of the
total °trade for 1903-04 was 10£ million sterling. Russia had acquired a large share
of this increase in trade her total being 54 millions whilst British trade, 2£ millions,
had made little or no progress. The development of Russian trade seemed attributable to the
following facts:—
(1) The most cultivated, populous and prosperous provinces of Persia lay nearer to th e
Caspian than to the Persian Gulf. The opening of the Trans-Caspian Railway
provided an outlet for the produce of the fertile province of Khorasan, which
could not afford the long and costly transport to the Gulf.
(2) The manufacturing centres of Russia had been brought gradually nearer to the
Persian markets by improved steamer and rail communications. Russian
merchandise arrived in the markets of Northern Persia, perhaps, three months
or less from date of order, whilst British goods could seldom reach the same
destinations within five, or even six months of order. *
(3) (a) The new Customs Tariff, to which India had had to submit, had been very
carefully drawn up by Russia to ensure practically free entry for her own goods
and the imposition of unfairly high duties on goods imported from the British
Empire. It was equivalent to an ad valorem scale of nearly 3J per cent, on
Russian trade, but on British trade of a little over 94 per cent., and on trade
with all other countries together of over 10 per cent. Some of the chief items
of Persian produce taken by the British Empire were wheat, grain, linseed,
seasame and opium. On all of these the new tariff increased taxation from o|
to 20 per cent., whilst, at the same time, exports taken almost entirely by Russia,
such as, rice and cotton, were freed from all taxation or had the taxation
reduced to a nominal amount. It was the same with imports, since Indian tea,
which was formerly taxed at 5 per cent, ad valorem, was . burdened with a
taxation of 6 krans per batman, the incidence of taxation varying from 50 to 90
per cent. Under the old svstem of taxation by value, British goods, which
were less costly at the ports of entry than Russian goods, as a rule, got in more
cheaply than Russian, Under the new system, a ton of cheap British piece
goods ^ paid the same duty as a ton of dear Russian goods of the same kind.
The new tariff was based on an extremely complicated system, as opposed to
the old and simple method of taxation by value.
(£) Persia was protected by the 5 per cent, ad valorem f duties of the^ Turkomanchai
Treaty against the formidable customs tariff, imposed by Russia on the import
of many foreign commodities. Fruits exported info Russia paid duty at the
rate of 25 marks per poud when coming from Persia, and rouble PSO per
• pound when coming from other countries. Raw cotton from Persia had a
similar advantage, paying 40 kopecks per pound as against 4T6 per poud from
other countries.
(c) The RZglement Legal was in some ways prejudicial to the trade of the ports in
V the ^Persian Gulf. Unnecessary stamp fees were collected and vexatious
restrictions were imposed. Notifications were seldom circulated, but were
merely posted in the Customs House, being, as a rule, printed or written in
French only, instead of in Persian, English and French. Correspondence also
had to be in French, and exchange in the case of British money was calculated
through the medium of the franc, instead of direct, as in the case of Russian
coinage, by taking so many krans as equal to a rouble.
(i) Illegal imports on trade, such as, rahdari and dalali, which were supposed to
have been abolished, continued to exist.
(4) Russia with a full realisation of the fact that an increase in exports causes an
v ‘ increase in imports, had further taken special measures to encourage the import
into Persia of her manufactures.
(a') Special through rsEtes were granted for goods going to Persia. A steamship line
1 from the Persian Gulf to Odessa had a subsidy of about £20,000 a year,
which meant that the Russian shipper had an advantage over the British
shipper of 12 to 15 shillings per ton weight on cotton goods to Bushire. Canal
dues were also refunded.