JUTE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 150, 26 June 1915, Page 16

JUTE.

James Logic, "who is supposed to know more about jute than any one else in America, tells in a very interesting way how jute came to be known to Europe and the West: "In 1840, on a Saturday afternoon, three Dundee flax spinner* were walking to their beautiful residences in Broughty Ferry, about four miles ea3t of Dundee, on the banks of the Tay, and as ' usual strolled along the docks. At that time there were several Clipper Line sailing vessels trading with Dundee in Indian products, principally grain, linseed, etc, and on this particular Saturday one of these vessels was discharging her miscellaneona cargo, and these canny Scots observed a fibre in some quantity on the dock, and made enquiry as to what it was. They were told it was some Indian product that had been obtained in Bengal, and was suitable for the dunnage of ships. They examined the fibre a little more carefully and all thought it would be possible to spin the fibre on their flax machinery. The result was that Monday morning they made a bee-line for agents of the ship, and asked what they were going to do with thk. waste material. They ( got the reply, 'We propose dumping it into the river,' and when they expressed a wish to experiment with it they were told they could cart it awajr from the dock, and were welcome to it if they paid the cartage. Thus the jute industry started — for the fibre turned out to be nothing less than what we know commerciallY "to-day as 'jute.' "