§ MR. SCHWANN (Manchester, N.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he can give the values and bulk, during the last 655 five years, of the total traffic on the River Karun into Western Persia; and whether any, and if so what, steps have been taken to promote the use of that route for commerce by British and Indian traders.
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Lord CRANBORNE, Rochester)Following are the values of the imports into the Karun ports taken from the trade reports of His Majesty's Vice-Consul at Mohammerah; 1897, £26,030; 1898, £72,817; 1899, £62,971; 1900, £100,437; 1901 (Ahwaz only), £72,358. It would be impossible within the limits of a Question to deal with the statistics of bulk, but I would refer the hon. Member to the following reports in the Annual Series, Nos. 2186, 2346, 2442, 2631, 2803. The question of the best means of encouraging the use of this route by British and Indian traders has the constant attention of His Majesty's Government. Steps are being taken for the appointment of a British Vice-Consul to reside at Ahwaz on the Karun.