Coll 30/9 'Persian Gulf: Administration Reports 1926-1938' [‎47v] (99/1028)

Director of Customs, Aqai Zelli in Angust, w^the^eta
of a rationalized system of mar mg S p Con H electric crane is also under
of a new tariff of landing charges. ~ extension Finally the revenue
construction and the wharves are m process of extension.^ ^ ^ separatecL
and customs departments, previous y ^ ^ hard to confirm the
From these signs of f “ CsS Idilg with its import-
prevalent opinion that the map Shahnour has not contributed to
ance as a trading centre. Hitherto Ban ar .a p^ ^ con dition of Bushire
L W fe^ and ^
Fs'thfbcgy “s’ —s%nd, P where possible, cargo has been discharged
for preference in Bushire or elsewhere.
ZSZ “bj “"f curtailing «.«.»■« of price and po»ibl. cnploiftiou b,
J Industry .—The spinning section of a new combined cotton mdl-a private
enternrise with a capital of Rials three million subscribed by merchants here
and in Shiraz-was at the end of the year almost complete. Difficulty m
obtaining first exchange against imports of machmery fr^ E^land and
later raw cotton for spinning, has delayed work. The mill employs ZUU
spinning operatives at daily wages of Rials 2J-5 ; overlookers receive rials
350—450 monthly. It is intended to work two 12 -hour shifts. At the time
of writing 10 count yarn of good quality is being produced. The plant has
been erected and the workers trained by British technicians.
Aqriculture.—Oi the two main crops, wheat and barley grown in the
Bushire, Dashti and Dashtistan districts, wheat come under Government
monopoly in autumn 1936. A year’s working of the monopoly shows its
effect to be generally oppressive to the producer, though it is mitigated by the
advantage, both to him and to the consumer, of a level pnee.^ The prices
fixed in 1936 and ruling throughout 1937 were Rials 130 per ol5 kilos 1st
class Rials 120 for 2nd, Rials 110 for third and Rials 100 for 4th class wheat.
The price is not of itself unsatisfactory, comparing favourably with the wide
fluctuation, from Rials 60—250 per kharvar, of barley ; but the method ot
collection and payment are the subject of universal complaint among growers.
The grower himself must deliver his wheat to the monopoly, whose agen s
determine the quality and value,—a system of one-sided bargaining of obvious
weakness. Only a proportion of the value is paid immediately and final settle
ment is effected often after a lapse of months. Early in the season export of
wheat was free, but in February stocks in the hands of merchants and growers
were taken up by the Revenue Department for sale to the Government and
later taken over by the Customs. Considerable quantities of wheat have been
exported to Europe to meet Government import commitments, and some doubt
has been occasioned of the adequacy of remaining stocks. As necessity
arises wheat is shipped between Bushire and Khorramshahr. The export of
barley has hitherto remained free to merchants who have taken advantage of
this to some extent.
Little interest has been shown by the State in the producing as opposed to
the marketing side of agriculture. There is no local branch of the Agricultural
Bank and farmers are financed in part by merchants who have no better
employment for their capital. A certain amount of cotton seed has been
distributed, but no real attempt has been made to encourage its introduction
as a crop. Tobacco is grown as a subsidiary crop in the Borazjan area.-
Prospects for the coming grain crop are satisfactory. Much the same
area is now reported to be under cultivation as in 193.6-37 wdien the harvest
was good.