The evening times., 1899-08-16
TRADE CONDITIONS I'M PERSIA
Germany Very Poorly Represented
I'm the Shah's DOminiOns.


Under the caption "Germany's Trade
With Persia writer in leading Chem
ntz paper points out this empires posi-
tion in that country. He says, among 9TH
er things, that Germany is very poorly rep
resented in Persia. In the northern part
of the Shah's dominions are no German
houses at all. In the south, quite recently,
a German company had made business
connections but as yet to little or no pur-
pose; since to do business in Persia a
knowledge of language, scustoms, and hab-
its of the people is absolutely necessary.
The imports, which, by the way, are very
considerable, are almost entirely in Eng
lands hands.
Persia, says the writer, who has lived
eighteen years in Shiras, is not very rich.
The population is made up, for the most
part, of nomadic tribes that move from
one grazing place to another. In the midst
of these vast grazing tracts are the larger
cities. In Teheran, the capital one finds
the richer classes. Bushire and Bender
Abbas are ports where goods enter for
transmission to the interior by means of
caravans. The carrying is done by mules
and camels. Roads and means of trans
pcrtation are very primitive, but ii sell
dom happens that a caravan is robbed.
Commerce is active. The imports are su-
gar in boxes and bags, candles, iron,
cloths, cotton goods, iron wares, stone
wares, copper. tea, indigo, leather, articles
of luxury, etc. In articles of luxury, the
prospects for large business are excellent.
To establish oneself in Persia large
capital is almost indispensable. One needs
from $4,000 to $4,000. The Persian does
not pay cash. He never wants less than
three months credit. To sell on such long
time one should have considerable local
information. 1t is hard to get facts as to
firms or a merchants standing. Sales for
cash are possible only when very small
quantities are disposed of-when the sup
ply is small and the demand is large.
Money in Persia pays from II to Is per
cent, and merchants seldom, IL ever, do
business on basis that pays less. Eu-
ropeans are ready TO sell, since per cent
is the best they can expect at home and
credit sales pay well. 1t takes two and
one-half to three months for goods to ar
rive in the interior of Persia after they
leave London. Thus, the goods are two
months in transit, are sold on three
months time, and before the merchant in
London gets his money seven or eight
months have passed.
German houses, says this merchant OF
Shiras, shrink from sales when the Per-
sian merchant puts his time OF payment
months ahead. Because of this, business
is very seldom done by German houses.
Besides, Germans, who have no good rep
resentative in Persia, run great risks.
Their hesitation to hand over goods to
unknown parties is reasonable. Business
therefore, with all its profits, remains in
English hands. Another point 10 be care
fully considered by parties desiring to do
business in Persia is that house must
have everything on hand from a button to
big Krupp gun.
Russia is rapidly rising to very i'm
portant place in trade, especially in cen
tral Persia. The Russians. however do
not come themselves, but are represented
by Persians or Armenians. They sell
large quantities of Russian glass and
stone ware. In these lines, they have no
competitors-frst, because the importa-
ton via Bagdad, because of Turkish tolls,
is too expensive, and, second, because the
goods come from the neighboring Russian
frontier provinces and meet Persian
needs. For instance samovars. cheap
mirrors or looking glasses, drinking
glasses, ETC., are sold. German mer-
chants might do a very large business in
beet sugar. since IL is preferred to the En-
glish and Russian, Up TO date. France
has furnished this article (beet sugar..
England is engaged in an effort to OBJ
tain better roads. The English consul in
ispdudh ueildHueu' III HIS last report, lne
Intervention of his government 10 get the
Persian Government to do something in
the line of roads and his efforts were sue
cessful. South and West Persia have no
roads; north Persia, only two. OF these
the one from Ispahan 10 Rescht was built
by Russians. A road is being built be-
tween the capital and Ahwaz. This Will
run down to the Persian Gulf and cheapel
freight rates to the interior. In spite o.
every obstacle and difficulty, Englani's
exports TO the Persian Empire are in
creasing.
United States exporters may perhap
profit by these suggestions. We might
send cheap cottons, sugar, candles. iron,
ironware, stoneware copper leather, and
fancy articles.