Knit underwear is beginning to be worn, but only by the better classes. As they comprise only a small portion of the population, the market for this line of goods is limited.
Parasols are always carried by the higher-class Turkish and Armenian women, principally for the purpose of concealing their faces. Bright colors are always chosen.
Some improvement is to be noted in the styles of women’s dresses. Woolen dress goods are now sold here. Medium qualities of durable material sell best. This is not as important a market for other woollen goods as might appear from the import statistics, as only the cheapest kinds can be sold.
Among other articles for which there is some market might be mentioned buttons, celluloid collars, suspenders, and thread.
Government Encouraging the Use of Improved Agricultural Implements.
There is a great need of certain kinds of agricultural implements in this district. Agriculture is practically its only industry, but it is carried on in the most primitive manner with crude wooden and iron plows and other implements of local manufacture. The Government has been making some effort, however, to introduce modern farming implements, and maintains in all the principal cities in the interior of Asia Minor supply stations where they are sold at cost and free instruction given in their use. Only the cheapest and simplest kinds of implements can be sold. Much of the land is rough and stony, and oxen are used instead of horses.
There is a limited market for hardware and for simple carpenters’ and blacksmiths’ tools, such as axes, hammers, hatchets, drills, files, planes, screw drivers, saws, hinges, locks, latches, staples, chains, wire, wire nails, knives, forks, spoons, pocketknives, scissors, clippers, currycombs, small coffee mills, and meat choppers. The last are used by nearly every one in preparing a favorite native dish of chopped meat called “kufte.” Until recently nearly all the above-mentioned articles used here have been of local make, but foreign-made goods are gradually taking their places. American sewing machines have a good sale. There has also been some demand for American metal roofing.
Other Articles that Might Find a Market.
Among other articles for which there is some market in this district, only a small portion of which now comes from the United States, are bicycles, canned fish, clocks and watches, drugs, glass and glassware, lamps, lanterns, needles and pins, petroleum, second-hand saddles, shoe polish, soap, stationery, toys, and wooden shoe pegs. The sale of drugs is rapidly increasing, due partly to the many Armenians here who have become accustomed to their use in the United States, and also to the American hospitals in the district, all of which maintain public dispensaries. The sale of American petroleum has recently begun in this region; formerly nearly all came from Russia and Roumania.