34 ( No. 97 ECONOMIC CONDITIONS (C) COMMERCE EXPORTS AND IMPORTS . .

.

.

The following table shows the value of the exports and imports (excluding specie) of British Somaliland for recent years : Exports (rupees). Imports (rupees ). 1913–14 3,248,945 3,573,287 1914–15 2,643,395 3,043,250 1915-16 2,858,947 3,176,170 Exports to the United Kingdom in 1914 consisted of raw hides (£8,410) and sheep-skins (£3,752) . The trade of the country consists chiefly in the export of skins to Aden, India, and the United States. Imports from the United Kingdom in 1914 amounted in value to £1,422.

The exports include sheep and goats, cattle, skins and hides, ghee, ostrich feathers, guano , pearls, gums and resin, fibre and coffee from Harrar, and small quantities of gold ingots from Abyssinia ( £ 12,000 worth in 1913–14) .

The principal imports are textiles, rice, dates , and sugar.

The value of the trade between Abyssinia and the ports of British Somaliland during the year 1913–14 amounted to nearly £62,000 . This trade has suffered considerable diminution in the last few years owing partly to the unsatisfactory condition of political affairs in the interior. It is believed that with the restoration of order it will very soon revive, as it will always be cheaper for the Somali tribes of Abyssinia, and particularly the Ogaden, to transport their goods on their own camels to the coast than to send them .by road via Jibuti.