21 77.3 Coal (imported)-1918 .. 1919 .. Coal (in transit) 1918 .. 1919 .. Cotton piece goods 1918 .. 1919 ..

Mosquito netting 1918 .. 1919 ..

Sacks— 1918 .. 1919 .. Tinplates— 1918 .. 1919 ..

Metric tons.

501,780 572,6,60 1,257,304 1,269,785 Metres. 5,203,133 2,754,130 Kilog. 17,239,765 7,064,086 12,095,074 7,384,702 £E. 5,154,125 3,040,841 13,715,237 6,702,222 13,312,927 11,086,788 360,342 160,465 1,368,771 585,986 1,190,400 302,606 The decrease in tea is partly, and the decrease in cheese and benzine wholly, attributable to diminished consumption by the British army.

The decreased value of the coal imported is, it will be observed, entirely due to the fall in the price.

Cotton piece goods, in spite of a slight increase in price, show a large decrease in quantity, both in those calculated by weight and in those calculated by metre. The reason is that large orders were placed in 1918, many of which were repeated in the anticipation of larger losses due to the activity of enemy submarines; this resulted in the Egyptian market being overstocked at the time of the armistice. The situation was saved by large re-exports to Syria, Palestine and Arabia.

The quantities of sacks and tinplates imported in 1918 were above the normal, and the decrease in the value of the tinplates is accentuated by the drop in price to half that in 1918.

The delusive nature of the high figures of import values is shown by the following table, which gives the values and quantities of the most valuable imports in 1919 and the values of the same quantities at the prices ruling in 1913. From this it appears that nearly half the value of Egyptian imports for last year is accounted for by goods which could have been obtained for £E. 6,793,107 in 1913, and that the cost of these nine articles has more than trebled.

1919. Price in 1913.

Cotton piece goods Cotton piece goods ..

Coal Kerosene Chemical manure Meats, frozen, salted, or preserved Cotton yarn.. Coffee Woollen cloths Flour £E. 5,747,596 5,339,192 3,040,841 1,710,897 1,425,742 1,016,411 969,993 811,351 792,248 779,505 21,633,776 Metres. 87,475,769 Kilogs. 12,878,462 Tons. 572,660 122,399 57,719 Kilogs. 12,206,577 3,126,886 7,278,992 Metres.

984,615 Kilogs. 21,881,850 £E. 1,634,904 1,630,000 674,981 516,563 530,318 669,618 271,342 432,921 196,342 236,118 6,793,107 The share of Great Britain and British possessions in the import trade of Egypt, which was 376 per mille in 1913, and had increased to 683 in 1918, diminished to 582 in 1919. The United States came next, thanks to imports of kerosene, other mineral oils, and leather, with 61 per mille, and was followed by Italy, France House of Commons Parliamentary Papers Online. Copyright (c) 2006 ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.