Practically one half of the total jute crop, of 9 to 10 million bales of 400 lbs. each, is used in India, and the remaining half is baled for export to the various parts of the world; a little over one million bales are exported annually to Great Britain, the bulk of this fibre comes to Dundee.

It is practically impossible for foreign purchasers to see the material at the assorting stations, but the standardized method of assorting and grading enables a purchaser to form a very good idea of the quality of the fibre, and its suitability or otherwise for special types of yarn and cloth.  Thus, a form of selecting and grading has been established on a basis that provides a very large amount of jute each year of a quality which is known as “a first mark.”  A mark, in general, in reference to fibre, is simply some symbol, name, letter, monogram or the like, or a combination of two or more, oft-times with reference to some colour, to distinguish the origin of the fibre, the baler, or the merchant.

In normal years there is also a large quantity of fibre of a better quality than what is known as “first mark,” and this better quality is termed “fine jute”; while there is yet a further lot, the quality of which is below these good ones.  Since there are hundreds of different marks which are of value only to those connected directly with the trade, it is unnecessary to dwell on the subject.  The following list, however, shows quotations of various kinds, and is taken from the Market Report of the Dundee Advertiser of March, 1920.  The price of jute, like almost everything else, was at this date very high, so in order to make comparisons with the 1920 and normal prices, we introduce the prices for the corresponding grade, first marks, for the same month in the years 1915 onwards.

JUTE PRICES, IN MARCH
First Marks

Year.  Price per ton.

L. s. d.       L. s. d.
1915    27         to 35 15
1916    44
1917    42 10
1918    51
1919    49
1920    70        (spot)

It is necessary to state that the assorting and balings are generally so uniform that the trade can be conducted quite satisfactorily with the aid of the usual safeguards under contract, and guarantees regarding the properties of the fibre.

After these assorting operations are completed, the jute fibre is made up into bundles or “bojahs” of 200 lbs. each, and two of these 200 lb. bundles are subsequently made up into a standard bale, the weight of which is 400 lbs.  This weight includes a permitted quantity of binding rope, up to 6 lbs. in weight, while the dimensions in the baling press of the 400 lb. bale are 4’1” X 1’6” X 1’ 4”.

[Illustration:  FIG. 4 NATIVES CARRYING SMALL BALES OF JUTE FIBRE FROM BOAT TO PRESS HOUSE]