"كتيّب بلاد الرافدين. المجلد I. ١٩١٨" [‎٢‎١‎٠] (٥٦٨/٢١٩)

210
COMMEECE AND INDUSTEY
purposes was growing remarkably before the war. The value of the
machinery imported to Baghdad in 1902 was £3,298, in 1910
£21,191, in 19il £150,800, in 1912 £105,450, and in 1913 £169,183.
This increase was partly due to the construction of the Hindiyeh
Barrage and of the Baghdad—Samarra section of the Baghdad Eail-
way ; but to a very large extent it was caused by the growing demand
for centrifugal oil-motor pumps used in irrigation. Further, ice-
machines, small flour-mills, &c., were being introduced into Baghdad.
The Turkish military factory at Baghdad had been supplied from
Austria-Hungary.
Of the import to Baghdad in 1912 the United Kingdom's share
was about 94 per cent, ; in 1913 it was about 62 per cent., Belgium
having about 35 per cent. The Belgian import in 1913 probably
consisted largely in plant for railway construction. The United
Kingdom had practically the whole trade in oil-motor pumps.
The introduction of agricultural machinery into Irak is now being
extended, and the import seems likely to develop rapidly in the
future.
The machinery imported into Arabistan appears to have been
almost wholly plant for the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.
Hardly any machinery, except a very small quantity for agricul
tural purposes, had found its way into upper Mesopotamia before
the war.
Metals. —Normally copper and iron were the principal metals
imported to Irak. In 1913 large quantities of steel were brought in
for railway construction.
The value of copper imported to Irak seems to have averaged
about £50,000 a year, but was subject to great fluctuations. The
United Kingdom had most of the trade (50-75 per cent.); Belgium
and India shared the balance.
Iron (bars, hoops, pipes, girders, &c.) was imported to Irak nor
mally to the value of £20,000-50,000. Belgium had most of the trade,
supplying especially girders and pipes. The use of iron girders at
Baghdad for building purposes was increasing. Bar and rod iron
appears to have come from Sweden, Belgium, and the United
Kingdom.
The iron and steel landed at Basra in 1913 was valued at
£1,207,882 ; this abnormal import was due to railway construction
at Baghdad.
In the Diarbekr market metals (copper, iron, tin, &c.) were im
ported in 1913 to the value of £39,200, of which £31,700 worth was
entered as coming from the United Kingdom, the rest from Germany
and Belgium. It had been reported in 1907 that German and