628 U. S Consul McBougalVs Report on Oils and Jute at Dundee. 



at the lowest point, and in the principal portion of the trade unquestionably 

 umciminerative. 



"It is affirmed that had it not been for the large sums accumulated by the 

 manufacturers in the ten years of good trade previous to 1873, great commercial 

 disaster must have been the inevitable consequence of the very unprofitable state 

 of the trade here during the last three or four years. 



"Among those manufacturers who entered into the trade in 1873-'74, when 

 trade was beginning to decline, and who consequently did not reap any of the 

 good profits yielded in former years, there have been many failures. I have 

 again to quote from my annual report for this year : 



" So bad has the trade been considered, that many manufacturers have found 

 it more for their interests to close their works entirely than to go on making goods 

 at an absolute loss. 



" The chief local newspaper says there are at present standing idle in Bun- 

 dee and district 12 mills and factories employing 3,400 hands, 7 mills employing 

 1,770 hands, 4 factories employing G70 hands. Total, 23 mills and factories and 

 5,840 hands. 



" Seven of these works have been closed through the suspension of the firms, 

 but the majority have been stopped voluntarily, by the owners wishing to with- 

 draw from losing concerns and others from the want of orders for the special class 

 of goods manufactured by them. A number of these works ceased working six 

 months ago ; some as far back as the end of 1876. Nearly the whole of the works 

 still in operation are running with fewer hands than at this time last year ; one 

 firm alone having 600 less." 



" So that the number of mills and factories in Dundee and district is now 

 approximated at from 70 to 80, employing from 50,000 to 60,000 hands making jute 

 goods. 



"Without doubt the great production of jute fabrics in Calcutta for the last 

 two or three years has been the main cause of the extreme depression of the trade 

 here. At any rate, Calcutta is now the most powerful competitor with Dundee, as 

 three or four of the largest jute- works in other parts of the United Kingdom have 

 recently stopped working, and those in other towns throughout the country are 

 working with less hands, thus reducing the competition in this country with Dun- 

 dee to a minimum. 



" Calcutta is represented as having 20 mills, 4,786 looms; 80 per cent, of the 

 spindles and looms are on double-warp bagging and sacking and 20 i)er cent, on 

 Hessian or burlap cloth. These figures show that Calcutta is a formidable rival 



