Approval. The Ministry of Finance has agreed to allow the Exchange to commence collections for the Bank before the installments are due. It is hoped that the fellah will be able to meet his debts upon receiving the proceeds of his crops, and that he will be paid interest on what he pays before it is due. In general, the indications in these provinces portend well. As for the provinces of the Delta, the progress or delay in collecting the Bank's funds depends on the state of the cotton crop. If its yield is good, as in the current season, and prices remain high, then the Bank's clients should be more capable of fulfilling their commitments than they were this past winter. This is if they have paid a large portion of their non-urgent debts this season, as some indications suggest. It goes without saying that the Bank will receive the same administrative assistance as it did last year.

The Government and the Mixed Court have considered the proposals put forward by the Bank for collecting debts through legal proceedings and reducing expenses. However, the matter is fraught with specific difficulties and requires careful and meticulous handling.

10 - Trade and Customs Customs revenues amounted to £350,2141 in 1910, composed as follows: Imports Exports Other revenues Tobacco This is an increase of £46,489 over the revenues of 1909. The total value of exports and imports, excluding goods that passed through Egypt and were re-exported, and excluding currency, amounted to £4,830,700, compared to £5,749,700 in 1909. The value of currency imported was £12,964,000, and exported was £46,900,470. The value of currency imported in 1909 was £7,010,000, and exported in that year was £4,445,804. The reason for this great increase in gold imports was the demand to pay for the cotton crop, which was very good.