19 » and to £E. 2,294,874 in 1918, exclusive of parcels for the arm). The countries which) most freely availed themselves of this method of sending their goods were the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Japan and Switerland. There is no parcel post between the United States and Egypt, but large packages containing goods used to arrive by letter post from the United States in 1918. After the armistice there was a decided decrease in the number of postal parcels, but it seems probable that merchants, having realised the celerity and convenience of this method of despatch, will continue to employ it to a much larger degree than was practised before the war.

During the period of the war it became necessary, in order to prevent the entry of enemy goods from neutral countries, to insist on the production of consular certificates of’origin and interest.

Ecoport Trade 1913-1918.

The following figures show the value of exports from 1913 to 1918 :— £E. 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 31,662,065 24,091,796 27,046,872 37,461,763 41,060,612 45,370,020 The export trade of Egypt is almost entirely dependent on the cotton crop. In 1913 cotton, cotton seed and cotton seed-cake accounted for £E. 29,103,718 out of the total of £E. 31,267,087, or 93 per cent., and in 1918 for £E. 40,691,592 out of £E. 44,637,865, or 91 per cent. The following table shows the change of destination of Egyptian cotton during the war ;— 191.3. 19M. 1015. 1916.

Total export United Kingdom France.. United States Russia.. Germany Austria Switzerland Italy ..

Kantars. 6,972,086 2,996,401 656,242 673,523 599,900 665,101 432,051 274,009 265,297 Kantars. 5,909,788 2,444,849 3.58,523 928,509 484,981 461,829 214,927 417,788 293,085 Kantars. 6,899,132 3,198,096 259,577 1,686,310 394,581 540,804 444,949 Kantars. 5,416,936 2,751,667 305,071 1,228,866 346,565 183,250 254;038 1917.

Kantars. 4,073,700 2,649,993 214,898 621,017 106,708 112,829 262,611 191.8.

Kantars. 5,019,689 3,528,401 223,735 661,417 115,189 290,000 The most noticeable features in the above table are the large share taken by the United States in 1915 and 1916, and the increase in the export of cotton to Switzerland and Italy at the beginning of the war.

The Cotton Control Commission was formed in June 1918 to purchase the 1918-1919 cotton crop. This resulted in the stabilising of prices, which were fixed for Customs purposes at P.T. 761 a kantar, plus P.T. 50 for expenses between purchase at Alexandria and shipment. The obligation to sell cotton to the Cotton Control Commission ceased on the 31st July, 1919.

A new development since 1913 has been the export of manganese ore from the Sinai Peninsula; 9,445 tons were exported in 1918.

The export of cigarettes was naturally affected by the war and the quantity exported fell from 493,176 kilog. in 1913 to 285,314 in 1917, but rose again to 561,948 in 1919. A drawback is given on all Egyptian cigarettes exported, which is equivalent to half the duty paid on the tobacco on import. With every increase of duty it is evident that under this system the amount of import duty retained by the Eg}qjtian Treasury is increased. The fibres given above do not appear to justify any departure from this principle. Under the present law P.T. 25 are retained on every kilog., or roughly on every thousand cigarettes.

In 1913 the United Kingdom took 431 per mille of Egypt’s exports, and Germany, Austria and Turkey took 128,56 and 21 per mille respectively. The share of the United Kingdom increased to 673 per mille in 1918, and that of the United States increased from 79 per mille in 1913 to 185 per mille in 1916, but fell again to 95 per mille in 1918. Japan made a first appearance as a customer for Egyptian [3437 y—2] D 2 House of Commons Parliamentary Papers Online. Copyright (c) 2006 ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.