144 ECONOMIC CONDITIONS [No. 98 After the gum the next most important export is ginned cotton, of which 22,000 baleswere exported in 1917. The figures for earlier years have been given elsewhere ( p. 104 ) . Theproportions going to countries other than Great Britain and Egypt are very small , and have decreased considerably during the war . What is taken by Egypt is re -exported aspart of the Egyptian produce. For the lastfew years morethan half the total Sudanese export has gone direct to Great Britain . A small quantity of unginned cotton is exported to Abyssinia.

There has ofrecent years been considerable develop ment in the export trade in live-stock . Although small quantities go to neighbouring countries and to Malta , Egypt is the only important customer, and before long it is clear that she will be almost entirelydependent upon the Sudan for her meat supply . She cannot continue to drain her own resources by slaughtering local stock without seriously hampering agricultural interests, and the position of the Sudan, with its great extent of pasture land, makes that country her obvious source of supply .

The destination and quantities of raw hides and skins exported before and during the war are shown in the following tables : ( i ) Untanned Hides Destination . 1913. 1914. 1915. 1916.

: : ...

Kilos. 435,868 222,255 3,570 5,050 45,753 31,436 Egypt... Great Britain ... India and Aden France ... Italy Eritrea ... Greece ...

Austria Germany Other countries : : Kilos. Kilos. Kilos. 23,477 69,500 353,608 60,556 163,004 66,185 52,912 160,428 120,610 188,223 8,485 36,843 245,405 58,577 440,361 2,437 12,88% 31.697 112,872 69,996 19,410 33,289 10,978 1,090 2,510 ...

... ...

...

Totaļ 403,247 793,838 1,148,251 743,932