File 2984/1920 'PERSIA: TRADE WITH EAST PERSIA [REPORTS & NOTES BY MAJOR TEMPLE]' [‎37v] (79/404)

as great as the exports to India. The implication is that there is room for a lar
development of the export trade to India—a matter upon which Chapter 4, “ p 0( pj
Resources, 5 ’ will be found to throw some light. ’ a
Taking the foreign trade of Khurasan as a whole, irrespectively of its extern 1
distribution, the total values, before the war (i.e., in the year 1913-14), and
(i.c., in the year 1918-19), may be compared thus :— ^
Imports.
Exports.
Total.
1913-14
1918-19
£ £ ‘ £
- 1,318,342 1,282,915 2,601,257
- 2,090,410 679,598 2,770,008*
It is thus evident that the total foreign trade of Khurasan is a growing quantitv
and that it is at present worth more than 3f millions sterling per annum; also that
the increase is solely in imports, which have more than doubled in value in five
years, whilst exports have fallen in value by about 36 per cent, in the same period
At present, as against every 1001. worth of imports from India and Russia combined
there are only about 281. worth of exports to those countries.
Expressed in terms of weight instead of in terms of value, the total foreign
trade of Khurasan in 1918-19 amounted to—
Imports.
Exports.
Total.
Tons. Tons. Tons.
14,448 7,483 21,931
(N.B .—These weights relate, of course, only to commodities computable
in avoirdupois; they exclude such commodities as livestock, arms, beverages,
gramophones, watches, carriages, bicycles, automobiles, among the imports^
and carpets among the exports, which are reckoned in the Customs House
by number.)
The importance of this aspect of the statistics will appear when the question of
commercial transport in East Persia is considered (vide Chapter 8). Meanwhile,
it is to be observed that for every 100 tons weight of imports (from India and Russia
combined) there are only 51 tons weight of exports (to those countries), which means
that about half the transport that comes in loaded must go out empty. The
conclusion of the matter, therefore, so far as the present chapter goes, is that while
the total value and volume of Khurasan’s foreign trade are substantial and
expansi e, the export business has failed to keep pace with the import business
and is now in need of attention.
It remains to notice the two other sub-provinces, the Kainat and Sistan.
The Kainat and Sistan.— These sub-provinces are included with the sub-
provmce of Khurasan m the area covered by the Khurasan Customs statistics;
r 1,Ca + ls P^ sl ^ lori being that Sistan (a Deputy Governorship) is subordinate
to the Kainat (a Governorship), which in turn is subordinate to Khurasan (a Governor-
enera s IP)* s > however, the great bulk of the trade thus recorded actually
ail + S ° ^ ras ^ n su ^"P rov i n ce, no serious inconvenience need arise, in the
tabidation^oul^be ^f 5111 ama ^ ama ^ on Customs statistics, though separate
qnilT Z r Q °™ ^ Vice -Consul, Birjand, and the Vice-Consul, Sistan, and from other
sources the following information was obtained
Kair3f I wi’fU A fi SrAT some i° c al merchants the bulk of the trade of
Ahh a w Vm outside T° r d was formerl y carried by way of Kerman and Bunder
wool f 18 fRP ea f s doubtful. What is certain is that the export trade in raw
had ao-pnis r T e R^* m ^ iands °f Russian Armenian merchants at Sabzawar, who
wool and Jin ir >l and ’ the capital of the Kainat, and about 5,000 camel loads of
exnorfpd W A^i u P roducts . were moved annually to Sabzawar and thence
p-ood^ wprp^rrf f -^ ss fo; return large quantities of sugar and piece-
and thp F a •^' uss fo* At present there are practically no exports,
<dvplv with^Tnd' la a m ^ a ’ su g ar > mdigo, piece-goods, iron and copper) is exchr
of wool if* / i CC -n r( i lri ? Customs authorities, about 1,000 camel loads
‘K'ninQi K ’ ^ 1 (c anfied butter), and saffron are annually exported from the
T way o under Abbas, and about 2,000 camel loads of rice and gh ijrre
See Appendix VII., page 53 for conversion ratios.