Fibres. 



Hi 



[July, 1910, 



the annual jnte crop, amounting ap- 

 proximately to £24,000,000 sterling, was 

 surely of such importance as to entitle 

 the trade to demand from the Govern- 

 ment of India a more accurate survey 

 and statement of the general conditions 

 than they seemed to have had during 

 the past two seasons. It was doubtful 

 whether the trade would even now act 

 upon the suggestion made by Sir John 

 Leng in 1896 for large consumers send- 

 ing out their own inspectors, but he 

 thought that a united representation 

 should be made by the whole trade to 

 the Indian Government officials to be 

 more painstaking in this important 

 matter. 



The opening of the year found the 

 flax trade in a fairly satisfactory posi- 

 tion. The 1908 crop of flax was by no 

 means a large one, but the consider- 

 able surplus carried forward by the 

 consumers and also by dealers and mer- 

 chants in Russia made supplies ample 

 for all trade requirements. The quality 

 of the dew retted flax left much to be 

 desired. Prices opened on a moderate 

 basis, chiefly owing to speculative sales ; 

 and during the season values steadily 

 increased, and a rise in prices, reach- 

 ing to about 15 per cent, was touched, 

 and maintained at the higher level ; 

 while the price of tow, in sympathy 

 with the comparatively slow demand 

 for tow yarns, continued steadily in 

 buyers' favour. At the close supplies 

 were small and prices fairly steady. 

 It was giatifying to find that spinners 

 and manufacturers were all well en- 

 gaged forward, and many indications 

 pointed to satisfactory and important 

 business for the coming year. 



Exports 



During the year ending 31st December 

 the imports of flax amounted to 10,800 

 tons ; of tow and codiila, 5,070 tons ; and 

 hemp, 2,050 tons, compared with 15,400 

 tons flax, 4,800 tons tow, and 2,800 tons 

 hemp in year 1908. Linen yarns were 

 exported from the United Kingdom 

 during the 11 months ending 30th No- 

 vember to the extent of 6,220 tons, com- 

 pared with 5,620 tons for the same period 

 last year. The export of linen goods 

 showed a considerable increase. For 

 the 11 months ending 30th November 

 the figures were 2^2,000,000 yards, as 

 compared with 135,000,000 yards during 

 the same peiiod in 1908. The principal 

 increase had been to the United States, 

 which had taken 53 million yards more 

 than last year, Canada 5£ millions, 

 Australia 2| millions, Cuba 3 millions. 

 Jute yarns were exported up to 30th 

 November to the extent of 22,240 tons, 

 compared with 20,500 tons for the same 



period in 1908. The United States took 

 960 tons more than last year. Brazil 830 

 tons less, while an increase of 1,800 tons 

 went to various other countries. The 

 export of jute manufactures (excluding 

 bags) up to 30th November, 1909, showed 

 an increase over the same period in the 

 previous year, being 173 million yards, 

 compared with 151 million yards. The 

 increases were— To U.S.A., 33 per cent. ; 

 Canada, 66 per cent. ; and Australia, 110 

 per cent. ; while the Argentine Republic 

 has taken 33 per cent, less than in the 

 previous year. Bags and sacks were ex- 

 ported to the extent of 41 millions, 

 against 39| millions in 1908, during the 

 11 months ending 30th November. Jute 

 manufactures were imported during the 

 past 11 months of the value of £1,900,000, 

 compared with £2,200,000 in 1908, and 

 were re-exported to the value of 

 £1.290,000, compared with £1,500,000 

 during 1908, showing an amount of 

 £620,000 as the apparent value of im- 

 ported jute goods retained for consump- 

 tion in the United Kingdom in 1909. 

 At a previous meeting he had the satis- 

 faction of reporting some actual and 

 also prospective improvement in the 

 state of the textile trade. If the 

 increase had not been very large, they 

 hoped for the general improvement now 

 predicted by official experts, and the 

 American tariff, now happily settled 

 not unfavourably to us, would prove a 

 valuable element in this consumation. 

 The maximum depths of commercial 

 depression seemed to have been expe- 

 rienced in the shipping trade. Chief 

 among the elements fitted to contribute 

 to a hoped for improvement was the 

 fact that a new trade had sprung up 

 with Daluy and Vladivostok in the 

 conveyance to Europe of soya beans for 

 oil-crushing and oilcake-making. It was 

 understood that at least 400,000 tons of 

 shipping had already been engaged for 

 this trade, which promised to be much 

 larger even now. He found that part 

 of these had been received in Dundee. 

 Here was a new trade which had sprung 

 up quite suddenly, and which had been 

 one of the saviours of the shipping in 

 the past year. This was to be welcomed 

 as one of the many evidences of return- 

 ing prosperity. As to the question of 

 local shipbuilding, it was a regrettable 

 circumstance that the continued closing 

 of the Camperdown Shipbuilding Yard 

 had produced a marked curtailment in 

 the local shipbuilding industry, which 

 they had all been so desirous to see 

 extended rather than diminished. But 

 in this connection it was gratifying to 

 find that while their shipbuilders had 

 been working under a very low tide, 

 orders on hand, and especially the pros- 



