Afghanistan | Project Gutenberg

STATEMENT OF THE SCALE OF TAXATION CHARGED UPON EXPORTS TO BRITISH TERRITORY FROM KANDAHAR PROVINCE.

S e r i a l N o.			Taxes.
	Commodity.	Per	Kachari or Octro Duty.			Kafila Bashi.			Dalali or Brokerage.			Goshi or Karim’s Dues.			Aishan’s Dues.			Nizam-ud- Din’s Dues.			Takhta- pul Dues.			Sardari Kila Buldak.			One-tenth.			In lump Sum.			Total.
			Rs.	a.	p.	Rs.	a.	p.	Rs.	a.	p.	Rs.	a.	p.	Rs.	a.	p.	Rs.	a.	p.	Rs.	a.	p.	Rs.	a.	p.	Rs.	a.	p.	Rs.	a.	p.	Rs.	a.	p.
1	Fresh fruit	Load of ass	1	0	0	0	13	4	0	4	0	0	6	8	1	10	8	—			0	2	0	0	1	4	0	6	8	—			4	12	8
2	Pomegranates	”	1	8	0	0	13	4	0	4	0	0	6	8	3	8	8	—			0	2	0	0	1	4	0	8	0	—			7	4	0
3	”	Camel load	5	0	0	1	10	8	0	8	0	1	0	0	14	9	4	—			0	4	0	0	4	0	2	4	0	—			25	8	0
4	Dry fruit	Donkey load	2	8	0	0	13	4	0	4	0	0	4	0	7	3	4	0	13	4	1	4	0	0	1	4	1	4	0	—			14	7	4
5	Wool	Camel Load[17]	40	0	0	3	5	4	10	8	0	1	10	8	19	4	0	—			0	12	0	0	2	8	8	0	0	—			83	10	8
6	Big postins	Per coat	1	8	0	0	13	4	1	0	0	0	6	8	—			—			—			—			⅒ of all taxes.			—			—
						per ass load.			percent.			per donkey load.
7	Postins of good quality	”	8	5	4	”			”			”			—			—			—			—			”			—			—
8	” mustalah be astin	”	1	8	0	”			”			”			—			—			—			—			”			—			—
9	” quilt	1	6	4	0	”			”			”			—			—			—			—			”			—			—
10	” 20 gula	1	1	4	0	”			”			”			—			—			—			—			”			—			—
11	” 6 ”	1	0	10	8	”			”			”			—			—			—			—			”			—			—
12	Puttu Kabli, No. 1	1	12	8	0	”			”			”			—			—			—			—			”			—			—
13	” No. 2	1	10	0	0	”			”			”			—			—			—			—			”			—			—
14	” No. 3	1	8	5	4	”			”			”			—			—			—			—			”			—			—
15	” No. 4	1	6	10	8	”			”			”			—			—			—			—			”			—			—
16	Qanawez (a kind of silk cloth)	Yard	0	4	0	”			”			”			—			—			—			—			”			—			—
17	Silk	4 sers	0	12	0	”			”			”			—			—			—			—			”			—			—
18	Namad (a coarse woollen cloth)	1	0	3	4	”			”			”			—			—			—			—			”			—			—
19	Rupees	Cwt.	4	0	0	”			”			”			—			—			—			—			”			—			—
20	Men	Per head	—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			([18]) 2 4	8 2	0 8	([19])2 4	8 2	0 8

STATEMENT OF ARTICLES PROHIBITED FROM EXPORTATION TO BRITISH TERRITORY BY THE GOVERNOR OF KANDAHAR.
	Articles.	Tax imposed before the prohibition.			Remarks.
1	Wheat—	Rs.	a.	p.
	(a) Per camel load	1	0	0
	(b) ” ass load	0	8	0
2	Almonds, per maund	—			None but the Amir’s Agent, since a long time, is allowed to export almonds.
3	Ghee, per maund	5	0	0
4	Goats and sheep, per head	0	8	0
5	Asses	Nil.
6	Horses or ponies— For every Rs. 8-5-3 of the estimated value.	1	0	0	Besides this amount, nearly Rs. 5 more per horse are taken, and on every hundred horses a further sum of Rs. 2 is levied.
7	Cows per head	5	0	0
8	Pistacia nuts, donkey load	20	7	0

TABLE OF DUTIES LEVIED UPON IMPORTS INTO KANDAHAR PROVINCE.
	Articles.	Imported from	Duty.			Remarks.
			Rs.	a.	p.
1	Horses	Kabul and Herat	12	8	0
			per horse.
2	Ponies	Do.	5	4	0
			per pony.
3	Miscellaneous	Do.	* 11	0	0
			for every 100 Rupees of the estimated value.			* In addition to this sum, 1 per cent. on account of brokerage and Rs. 2 per camel load and Re. 1 per ass load are recovered on account of rahdari, etc.
4	Cloth	India	14	0	0
			for every 100 Rupees’ worth of cloth.
5	Tea	Do.	¼th of its value.
6	Sugar	Do.	⅓rd Do.
7	Iron	Do.	⅒th Do.
8	Indigo	Do.	20	0	0
			per English maund.
9	Oils	Do.	⅙th of their value.

The Saids of Peshin, Kakuris, Bakhtiaris and the Baluchis are the tribes principally engaged in horse dealing. This trade flourishes for six months in the year; but it is stagnant during the hot weather and in the winter, when the roads are closed by snow. About 2000 or 3000 horses are said to pass through the city annually. The chief breeding districts drawn on by these traders are Sarakhs, Maimana, Nur and Kala Nau in the Hazara country; Daria Gaz and Kelati-i-Nadiri in Persia; Gulza and Firozkoh in Herat province. Of these the horses from Sarakhs, Nur and Gulza are most prized, realising locally between 60 and 120 rupees. An export duty between fifteen to thirty rupees was originally levied against each animal. To escape this tax traders frequently took the desert routes, but the trade is now prohibited. The cows of Kandahar and Seistan are in general request; they are said to give twenty seers of milk each per diem, being milked three times in twenty-four hours. They fetch about forty rupees each. Camels are anything but plentiful in the Kandahar district; and the supply is scarcely adequate to meet the demands of the trading population. Many are imported from Baluchistan, the prices varying from twenty to one hundred rupees.

Street scene

TYPICAL STREET SCENES

The Saids of Peshin and others formerly conducted a more or less profitable traffic in slaves in Western Afghanistan, some four or five hundred being sold annually in Kandahar. A few of these unfortunates were purchased in Seistan, but most of them were kidnapped from elsewhere. Slavery in Afghanistan, however, was abolished by Abdur Rahman in 1895, the Russian and Indian Governments mutually co-operating in its prevention. Very few slaves were Persian born, the several regions of Afghanistan supplying their own superfluous human beings. Hazara furnished a large quota, frequently in lieu of arrears of revenue or when there was difficulty in realising Government assignments against the different villages. The value of slaves fluctuated according to the price of food; during seasons of abundance high prices were obtained, but in any period of scarcity slaves were a drug in the market.

The climate of Kandahar is charming in the winter, but the spring is considered the most pleasant time. Barren parched hills lie close to the city on the north and west; the heat radiating from them is such that the winds are hot and parching. The temperature of the thermometer varies greatly between morning and the middle of the day—sometimes as much as 40 or 50 degrees.

In winter, composed of the months of December, January and February, the weather is cloudy, with storms, snow, sleet and rain. The wind varies between all the points of the compass, seldom for long blowing from one direction. Frosts are severe.

WINTER TEMPERATURE OF THE AIR.
Maximum.
6 A.M.	1 P.M.	8 P.M.
Open air 52	Sun 115, shade 59	Open air 61.30
Medium.
6 A.M.	1 P.M.	8 P.M.
Open air 36.8	Sun 78.45, shade 49.15	Open air 44.44
Minimum.
6 A.M.	1 P.M.	8 P.M.
Open air 15	Sun 36.30, shade 42	Open air 31.00

In spring, made up of the months of March, April and May, the weather is fair but cloudy. Occasional rain falls; and there are thunder-storms during the first half of the season, in which also the nights are cold and very frosty. In the latter half of this quarter the weather becomes warmer, dews fall at night and dust-storms occur infrequently. The wind is westerly and south-westerly, but high easterly winds prevail in March.

SPRING TEMPERATURE OF THE AIR.
Maximum.
4 A.M.	1 P.M.	8 P.M.
Open air 78	Sun 139, shade 85	Open air 85
Medium.
4 A.M.	1 P.M.	8 P.M.
Open air 56.23	Sun 114.50, shade 70.8	Open air 69.35
Minimum.
4 A.M.	1 P.M.	8 P.M.
Open air 31	Sun 78, shade 53	Open air 44.45

During the months of June, July, August and part of September, the hot season obtains, commencing about June 20 and continuing until September 20. It comprises two periods of forty days each, separated by an intervening fortnight of cloudy and cooler weather, during which thunder-storms occur in the mountains, though rain rarely falls on the plain. The most prevalent wind during the summer blows from the west during the day, but during the night and until the sun has been “up” a couple of hours it emanates from the opposite direction. Dust-storms are frequent and severe.

SUMMER TEMPERATURE OF THE AIR.
Maximum.
4 A.M.	1 P.M.	8 P.M.
Open air 86	Sun 150, shade 96	Open air 94
Medium.
4 A.M.	1 P.M.	8 P.M.
Open air 74	Sun 136.20, shade 87.10	Open air 86.15
Minimum.
4 A.M.	1 P.M.	8 P.M.
Open air 63	Sun 105, shade 82	Open air 77

The wind, during the autumn in the evening and in the early morning, blows in warm unrefreshing gusts, heated by passing over the many bare rocky ranges which serve simply to reflect the sun. During these months, part of September, October and November, the sun is still powerful. Occasional dust-storms occur, and there is cloudy weather towards the close of the season. The dews are heavy; little rain falls and high north-easterly and north-westerly winds prevail at the close of the season.

AUTUMN TEMPERATURE OF THE AIR.
Maximum.
5 A.M.	1 P.M.	8 P.M.
Open air 65	Sun 148, shade 82	Open air 85
Medium.
5 A.M.	1 P.M.	8 P.M.
Open air 50.57	Sun 123.50, shade 70.44	Open air 69.15
Minimum.
5 A.M.	1 P.M.	8 P.M.
Open air 32	Sun 70, shade 58	Open air 51

Of diseases that may be attributed to the Kandahar climate, the most prominent are intermittent and remittent fevers, whilst continued fevers and small-pox, although met with only in a sporadic form, are epidemic in certain seasons. The first-named maladies are prevalent throughout the year; although more active in the spring and autumn when they are remarkable for the frequency of the tertian form.

Ophthalmic complaints are numerous, although not altogether attributable to the climate. Rheumatism, neuralgic affections, scrofula, syphilis and certain cerebral disturbances are common.

TCARRYING COTTON TO MARKET.

CARRYING COTTON TO MARKET.

[15] “Northern Afghanistan.” Major C. E. Yate.

[16] See pages 205, 206.

[17] 1 camel load = 8 maunds and 16 sers.

[18] Persons visiting British territory for trade purposes, etc., are required to pay Rs. 2-8 as passport tax per head, provided they furnish personal security to return within 6 months.

[19] Persons visiting British territory for trade purposes, etc., are required to pay Rs. 4-2-8 as passport tax per head, provided they furnish personal security to return within 1 year.