مجموعة ١٧/ ١٧ "تقارير سنوية لوزارة الخارجية، ١٩٣٢-١٩٣٨، ١٩٤٧. استعراض سنوي للأحداث ١٩٣٩-١٩٤٢. استعراض سياسي ١٩٤٣-١٩٤٤" [و‎‎١‎٩‎٨] (٤٨٣/٣٩٥)

45
visit the Shatt-al-Arab during the year, but their chief cargo from Iraq was
scrap-iron. In general, the position gained by Japanese trade during the past
three or four years was consolidated during 1933. Japanese prices became
steadier and less speculative.
Soviet Trading.
226. During 1933 there was, generally speaking, no marked increase in
trade between Iraq and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and no progress
was made in the efforts of the Soviet Government to establish commercial
representation in Iraq. Officials from their agency at Mohammerah visited Iraq
two or three times during the year with the declared object of buying Iraqi wool,
but the Iraqi authorities refused them visas without prior reference to Bagdad,
and then only with restrictions as to the period of each visit. They were kept
under police surveillance, and were chiefly concerned with the decline in their
piece-goods market owing to increasing Japanese competition. During December,
however, they endeavoured to negotiate with Messrs, the African and Eastern
(Near East) (Limited) for the purchase of over 2,000 bales of wool. It is reported
that the Bagdad Chamber of Commerce recently received a letter from Moscow
stating that a special Eastern Section had been opened in the Commercial Museum
there, and asking for assistance in obtaining samples of Iraqi exports. The latter
also indicated that there was a possibility of a museum of Soviet exports being
opened in Iraq. These developments may indicate that the Soviet authorities
now realise that the best way to remove the antagonism to their commercial
activities displayed in Iraqi official circles is to “ buy Iraqi.”
General Resume.
227. The foregoing statistics are richly coloured by the importations of the
Iraq Petroleum Company, which greatly exaggerate, on the one hand, the volume 1
of Iraq’s foreign trade, and, on the other hand, the extent of her adverse trade
balance. The total value of imports for 1933 at £6,103,000 and that of exports
at £2,634,000 leave an apparent adverse trade balance of £3,469,000, compared
with £2,920,000 in 1933. Apart, however, from the invisible exports cited in
paragraph 263 of the 1932 report, it may be estimated that about half this
difference represents importations by the Iraq Petroleum Company and other
concessionnaires financed by foreign capital. It is therefore to a large degree
extraneous to the country’s foreign trade and its adverse effect on the trade
balance need give no cause for alarm. Indeed, credit in Bagdad at the end of
1933 was better than at any time since the depression began, and, despite the
stagnation in cereals, the tone of the markets remained optimistic.
T ariffs.
228. On the 30th April, 1933, a completely new customs tariff was
introduced (Law No. 11 of 1933).
229. This was drawn up by two foreign experts engaged for the purpose
through the medium of the League of Nations and its object was not so much to
increase revenue as to reclassify and co-ordinate the tariff in accordance with
international nomenclature. The reclassification involved a general amendment
of existing duties, and the principle followed was to increase duties on luxuries
and reduce on essentials. The metric system was adopted throughout. The
previous general export duty of 1 per cent, was abolished, leaving only dates, gold,
horses and liquorice roots liable to export duty. The list of articles such as
machinery and raw materials required for agricultural and industrial purposes
which are exempt from import duty was expanded. The minimum rate of import
duty was reduced from 13 per cent, ad valorem to 8 per cent., and applied chiefly
to machinery and raw materials not already exempt. Duties were placed at
specific fixed amounts on a weight basis wherever practicable rather than on an
ad valorem basis. Duties on silk and artificial silk articles were increased by
20 per cent, and 10 per cent, respectively and graded in accordance with
percentage content by weight. Duties on imported provisions, groceries and
confectionery were also raised.