Coll 28/39(2) ‘Persia. Printed Correspondence, 1937–’ [‎46r] (91/320)

Grain. —The crops estimated in the beginning of the year for Fars were 100,000
kharvars (32,700 metric tons) of wheat and 50,000 kharvars (16,350 metric tons) of
barley. There are grain warehouses in Shiraz capable of storing 140,000 kharvars.
At the beginning of 1936 there were said to be 60,000 kharvars of wheat in Shiraz,
but it has been necessary since then to make large purchases in Hamadan and Isfa
han. It is proposed to construct a large modern grain silo. All wheat is purchased
by the Government Grain Stabilising Department at fixed prices. In the early
part of the year 300 rials per kharvar was being paid.
The Military Department has recently been taking all available supplies of
barley, straw and other fodder, and other consumers must obtain a permit from
the military authorities which is usually granted when Army needs have been
satisfied.
Opium. —The cultivation of poppies for opium production in Fars was stopped
by order of the Government after the partial failure of last years crop. This causes
considerable loss to the Province and to Shiraz merchants, which is not compensat
ed by the cultivation of cotton and wheat which are supposed to be grown as sub
stitutes. A small quantity is still grown for poppy seed, estimated to produce
6,000 kharvars, most of which has been exported.
Rice. —The cultivation of rice has also been stopped almost entirely through
out the Province by orders from Tehran.
Fruit. —Almonds, oranges and citrous fruits and dates are grown in various
parts of the Province in quantities sufficient for export to other parts of the country
or abroad. The trade in all dried fruits and nuts is in the hands of the Sherket-i-
Khoshkbar.
Gum Tragacanth. —The Sherket-i-Ketirah arranges for collection of gum and
export is permitted by merchants under licence from the Company. The trade
is a valuable one in Shiraz.
Lambskins. —The export of Iranian skins was formerly of great importance
in Shiraz. This year, under the control of the Sherket-i-Pust Narm, most of the
local supplies have been sent to Tehran.
Cattle and flocks .—A veterinary Service has been organised by the Agricul
tural Department with an Austrian doctor in charge for inspection of cattle, sheep
and goats.
Industrial undertakings. —
The most important of the newly established industries in Shiraz is cotton
spinning.
The Fars Manufacturing Company, Limited, directed and organised at that
time by Hussein Agar, of the firm of Hadji Ali Akbar, of Manchester, in 1934 open
ed a mill of 5,736 spindles with spinning machinery supplied by Messrs. Platt
Brothers, of Oldham, electric motors and accessories by the General Electric Com-
pany, Ltd., and a power plant with diesel engines by Mirrlees, Bickerton and Day,
Ltd. This mill produces cotton yarn of 10 and 20 counts. Its average daily out
put during 1936 was 500 bundles of 10 lbs. each working three shifts daily with
450 employees. Production has decreased recently and the mill at present only
works on two shifts with 300 employees. The selling price of yarn at the beginning
of 1937 was Rials 60—70 per bundle. Later on, it dropped to Rials 45. A build
ing was completed for new spinning machinery to be supplied by the same firm,
but the order has been cancelled and no extension is contemplated for the present,
as there were at one time large stocks of yarn on hand and overproduction was
feared if the output increased. Part of the capital has been returned to the share
holders and the advance instalment paid against delivery of the new machinery
was refunded by the manufacturers. Early in the year there were strikes for more
pay, and better treatment and more recently two of the three English engineers
employed by the firm have left their service. During the first two years of working
big profits were made by the Company which last year declared a dividend of 66%.
This is not surprising, since the price they formerly got for their yarn was three
times the cost of Japanese yarn of the same quality c. i. f. Bushire.
MC184EAD