The Ely miner., 1930-12-26

are chiefly to the nOrthwestward and
the nOrtheastward across extensive
deserts and mountain ranges These
barriers have not yet been bridged by
steel rails. Gaps still exist in the
famous proposed "Berlin-to-Bagdad'
railway so that it is not even possible
to move Iraqan products as far as the
eastern Mediterranean ports by rail.
There are close to a thousand miles
of railway track in Iraq, but it is en-
tirely an internal system. At no point
does a railway cross the Iraq border.
The rail system, however, does per-
form two important functions in inter-
national trade. 1t carries exports and
imports to and from the port of Basra,
head Of navigation on the Shatt-al-
Arab for ocean-going ships and it con-
meets at Khanaqin near the Persian
border with a motor road over which
is carried on Iraq's sizable transit
trade with Persia.
In the absence Of railways to the
north and west, all of the heavy freight
leaving and entering Iraq must move
by water through the Persian gulf.
But within the last few years an eff
cient and rapid system has been set
up for the transfer Of passengers,
mail and light express overland be-
tween Bagdad and Basra on the
southeast, and Damascus, Beyrouth,
Jerusalem and Cairo on the northwest.
Good, hard-surfaced highways have
been constructed through long sections
of the river valleys.
Across the deserts that separate
Iraq and Syria the ways are merely
natural earth roads, but they are in
fair condition, and over them power
full American-built busses carrying
passengers, mail and express cover
600 miles in "a hours. The quickest
mails, however, travel by the weekly
airplane service which extends from
Basra to Cairo. Airplanes fly ap-
proximately over the highway route
for a considerable part of the way
between Bagdad and the west. At the
halfway point, Rutbah Wells, the
Iraq government has established a
station which is used for refueling and
rewatering by both planes and auto
mobiles, and there a desert police
force Of considerable strength is
maintained. At this station a restau-
rant is conducted, and even overnight
accommodations are provided for trav-
elers.
Of the two great rivers of IraQ, only
the Tigris can be used by boats. An
important freight service, moving hun
dreds Of thousands of tons in large
river steamers, is operated between
Bagdad and Basra. Special shallow
draft stern-wheel river boats ply the
Tigris up the river from Bagdad to
Mosul; and above the latter city con-
siderable quantities of supplies are
brought downstream on RATS. Below
the junction of the Tigris and Eu-
pirates the combined tidal stream is
known as the Shatt-al-Arab. The COM
merce on the Shatt-al-Arab has been
greatly facilitated and increased since
the World war by the deeper and deep
er dredging by the 1raq government
Of the bar at the rivers mouth. Ships
of 20-foot draft can now cross the bar
at low water and ships of 30-foot draft
at high water.
Products and Industries.
Although some progress has been
made in recent years toward the de-
velopment of industry and the extrac-
ton of mineral wealth from the
ground, Iraq is still predominantly an
agricultural and pastoral country.
This condition is reflected in the ex-
ports and imports. During the fiscal
year 1929 the exports, including
goods in transit, amounted to about
S4O,OOO,OO0, while the imports were
valued at approximately S54,000,000.
Dates, valued at close to S6,000,00O,
led the list of exports, followed by
cereals and flour, S5,0O0.0OO, and
wool, S2,5OO,OOO Among the leading
articles imported were textiles, val
ued at approximately $S,50O,OOO; and
sugar worth $3,0O0,OOO.
The few industries carried on in
Iraq are on a small scale. The resi-
dents maintain factories for spinning,
knitting, carpet making, and shoe man.
ufacture, copper smelling and flour
milling. 1t Is only matter of time, how
ever, until the country will have an
important place among the regions
producing and refining petroleum. Two
financially strong companies have con-
cessions to explore and develop the
Iraqan oil supplies, and both have
brought in producing wells within the
past two years. One of the COM
panies is operating refinery near
Khanaqin, which supplies most Of the
fuel oil and gasoline needs of Iraq.
This refinery is supplied by 25-mile
pipe line from the oil field at Naft
Khava, almost on the Iraq-Persian
border.
The other oil corporation is develop
ing an area IS miles or more to the
north and considerable distance in
land from the Persian frontier. This
company has found fair amounts of
oil, but has delayed exploiting them in
the hope that it will open up suffi-
ciently productive field to justify the
laying of a pipe line across deserts
and through mountains to Mediter-
ranean port