Syria: An Economic Survey 



Commercial schools are urgently needed in such cities as 

 Aleppo, Haifa, and Jaffa. 



IX. Chambers of Commerce. 



According to an ordinance of 1885, Chambers of Arts and 

 Trades were to be established in Constantinople and other cities, 

 but they never materialized in Syria. However, there are Ottoman 

 chambers in Syria established by an ordinance of 1880, of which 

 any reputable business man may become a member by the annual 

 payment of a small sum. The chambers have other sources of 

 income, namely, fees for the issuance of certain certificates and 

 for the attestation of certain documents. The Chambers of Com- 

 merce of Aleppo, Damascus, Beirut, and Jerusalem, exist only on 

 paper. The last-named, founded in 1909, for a time published a 

 monthly report in French. The membership dues of the Jerusa- 

 lem chamber are 50, 150 or 200 piastres according to the business 

 of the member, and up to 500 piastres for bankers. 



The main difficulty in establishing Chambers of Commerce in 

 Syria lies in the fact that the business men are of different nation- 

 alities, have different customs, and speak different languages. This 

 difficulty will have to be overcome gradually. 



X. Measures for the Promotion of Commerce. 



Neither commercial schools nor other measures will serve to 

 develop commerce in Syria unless the Syrian business men work 

 in closer co-operation and have greater confidence in one another. 

 This might be brought about by the establishment of exchanges in 

 commercial centers. 



What is most important of all is the development of the Syrian 

 harbors, Jaffa, Haifa, Tripoli and Alexandretta, the development 

 of roads and railways, the introduction of telephones, etc. 



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