ALWAYS A POPULAR AND CENTRAL MEETING PLACE
Kandahar city is by far the most important trade centre in Afghanistan, the customs and town dues together equalling the land revenues of the province. These several sources of income, of course, go some way towards meeting the expenses of the Central Government. There are few manufactures or industries of importance that are peculiar to the city; the principal trade of a local description is the production of silk, felt and rosaries of soft crystallised silicate of magnesia, which is found near the city. The description of these trades will be found in a further chapter.
The following table shows the prices obtained in the Kandahar market for the under-mentioned imported articles:
| Imports From India. | |||||
| Bombay. | |||||
| Names of Articles. | Prices. | ||||
| From. | To. | ||||
| R. | A. | R. | A. | ||
| Long cloths | per piece | 7 | 8 | 6 | 8 |
| ” (unbleached) | ” | 4 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| Madapollams (white) | ” | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Alwan (shawl) stuff (red) | ” | 10 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| ” ” (orange) | ” | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| ” ” (green) | ” | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| ” ” (white) | ” | 8 | 0 | 5 | 8 |
| Jaconet (grey) | ” | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| ” (white) | ” | 3 | 8 | 2 | 8 |
| Dimity (white) | ” | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| ” (rose) | ” | 9 | 0 | 7 | 12 |
| Flowered muslins (all colours) | ” | 3 | 8 | 1 | 8 |
| Coloured muslins | ” | 3 | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| Net | per yard | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Drill (white) | per piece | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Flowered muslins (golden) | ” | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Velvet (black) | per yard | 0 | 12 | 8 | 0 |
| ” (red) | ” | 1 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Majut, imported | ” | 7 | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| Broadcloth | ” | 7 | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| Chintz (scarlet) | per piece | 12 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| ” (black) | ” | 8 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| ” (scarlet and rose coloured) | ” | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| ” (white) | ” | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| ” (black and other colours) | ” | 5 | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| ” (shakar kouz, a colour) | ” | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Khasa (scarlet) | ” | 5 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| ” (white) | ” | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Shawls | each | 6 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| Merino | per yard | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Molasses | per seer | 0 | 8 | — | |
| Sugar | per 3½ seers | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Black pepper | ” | 2 | 0 | — | |
| Sal ammoniac | ” | 2 | 0 | — | |
| Cloves | ” | 2 | 8 | — | |
| Green and black teas | ” | 20 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Turmeric | per 3½ seers | 2 | 0 | — | |
| Dry ginger | ” | 2 | 0 | — | |
| Preserved ginger | per jar | 4 | 8 | — | |
| Orpiment (yellow) | per 3½ seers | 2 | 0 | — | |
| ” (black) | ” | 2 | 0 | — | |
| Cinnamon | ” | 4 | 0 | — | |
| Cardamoms (small) | ” | 3 | 0 | — | |
| ” (large) | ” | 3 | 8 | — | |
| Thread | per bundle | 6 | 0 | — | |
| Cocoa-nuts | per 3½ seers | 3 | 0 | — | |
| Satin | per yard | 2 | 8 | — | |
| Flannel | ” | 1 | 0 | — | |
| Russian satin | ” | 1 | 8 | — | |
| Cambric | per piece | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Penknives, two-bladed, Rs. 1-8; one blade, Rs. 1; large sailors’ knives, 4 annas. Quantities of pottery-ware of all descriptions are imported, as also needles, thread and a few Anglo-Indian medicines. Foreign drugs kill many more than they cure; since they are administered by a hakim who knows nothing of their properties, but tries the effect of the first which may be at hand, regulating the quantity given by the price.
| Amritsar. | ||||
| Names of Articles. | Prices. | |||
| From. | To. | |||
| R. A. | R. A. | |||
| Molasses | per Kandahari maund | 2 | 4 | — |
| Turmeric | ” ” ” | 1 | 8 | — |
| Saffron | ” ” ” | 16 | 0 | — |
Punjabi shoes, penholders, lungis, cloth; Kashmiri shawls, puttu, zinc, saffron and Peshawar lungis.
| Multan. | |||||
| Names of Articles. | Prices. | ||||
| From. | To. | ||||
| R. A. | R. A. | ||||
| Rough cloth | per 100 yards | 9 | 0 | — | |
| Coloured sheets for women | ” 20 ” | 17 | 0 | — | |
| Chintz, Nasrkhani | per 20 pieces | or 160 ” | 20 | 0 | — |
| ” Lulgurie | ” ” | ” ” | 8 | 0 | — |
| Alacha | per 4 ” | 1 | 0 | — | |
| Buffalo-hides (cured) | per 20 ” | 60 | 0 | — | |
| Goats | 17 | 0 | — | ||
| Shoes | according to quality | ||||