"كتيّب بلاد الرافدين. المجلد I. ١٩١٨" [‎٢‎٠‎٣] (٥٦٨/٢١٢)

COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
203
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HW
Ml
Exports
1910-11 1911-12 1912-13
Total Value of Exports £310,042 £422,249 £330,555
Percentage of Percentage of Percentage of
Total Exports, Total Exports, Total Exports,
1910-11 1911-12 1912-13
United Kingdom . . 25 49 36
India .... 18 12 13
Germany ... 6 5 2
Turkey .... 18 9 15
Koweit .... 6 4 3
Hong-Kong ... 5 19 11
Other Countries . . 22 2 20
The United Kingdom's predominance in the markets of Meso
potamia and Arabistan was based principally on the import of cotton
goods. Of secondary imports from this country may be mentioned
woollens, machinery (to Baghdad), coffee (from Brazil), and copper.
In exports the United Kingdom took chiefly wool and mohair, skins
and hides, cereals, dates, gum tragacanth, and occasionally opium.
Import trade from India was chiefly in coarse cotton goods, cotton
yarns, gunnies, tea, and silk. In the two years preceding the war
Indian timber was driven from the Baghdad market by cheap Russian
woods. It seems that a considerable part of the manufactured goods
(including refined sugar) that were entered as imported from India
were of European continental origin. In exports India took dates,
ghl, horses, occasionally opium, and small quantities of galls, hides
and skins, wool, &c. Since the British occupation of Irak the Indian
piece-goods trade in southern Mesopotamia has acquired a stronger
position.
Germany had a miscellaneous trade in cheap manufactured goods,
and imported also sugar, chemical dyes, and alcohol. Her consider
able and growing share in the carrying trade to Basra consisted
largely in the shipping of Belgian, Austro-Hungarian, and other
foreign goods. (See further below, pp. 204-5.) Germany took
considerable proportions of the cereals (which before the war were
shipped almost wholly by German steamers), of the galls, and of the
hides and skins exported from the country. Among other exports
to Germany were intestines (for sausage-making), and a small per
centage of the Mesopotamian wool.
Austria-Hungary had a large share in the sugar trade, and sent
also fancy textiles, hardware, glassware, chinaware, paper, and other
kinds of cheap manufactured goods. Some hides and skins, grain,
galls, &c., went to Trieste.