The morning call., 1894-07-30
VERBAL CONTEST.
A Sailor Makes a Curious
Assertion
Regarding Japan's Coal Supply and
the Key to Her Future Ambi-
tion in the East.

Outside the hostelry close TO Miller & Lux's
headquarters yesterday, couple of sailors from
the Marion were entertaining little crowd OF
admirers. and strange as 1t may seem, IL was DOT
small talk or friendly badinage that was being
INDUCED in.
The respective merits of Chra ana Japan
were being discussed and all hands had just
enough liquid refreshments on board TO render
them volu0e without being stupid. a tall,
hardy-looking irOnworker was loud in praise OF
JapaD,an the little brown men who have shown
such marvellous powers OF progress within the
last decade or two. The elder-appearing Of the
Marion's forcas'le hands, while not protesting
much sympathy for either nation in the conflict
now impending between them, spoke roughly
but with considerable force against the pOssl-
billy of Japan ever developing into what the
natives of the country f0ndly Imagine it des
tined TO be-"tbe England of the ORIENT"
The lit le friendly squabbe would not be
worthy notice were it not for the fact that
friend Jack MADE an assertion regarding one
of Japan'S most important resources not gem
orally known, and which, though challenged by
his wordy opponent, he triumphantly proved
by giving chapter and verse for what he SAID.
Before that bit OF an island can show up as
the England Of the East" he remarked, "Sbe'll
have TO lay In fresh stock OF coal Why bless
you, there won't be a biz of patve coal the size
of hickory nut in the whole of Japan within
thirty years"
This apparently astounding assertion was
met DY 6lQpDdIiC ueDldl, DuJ lIlCuu Jack gave
his quid a turn into the other cheek and went
at 1t again. 81 amt any sea lawyer mates.
but what l says true all the same. Now tell
me-" he added, "WithOut any coal what figure
Will Japan cut? TO be like England she must
manufacture, mustn't she"'
AS matter OF fact, and strange as it may
seem, the statement regarding the coal supply
of Japan is absolutely correct and has caused
the governmental authorities of Japan great
uneasiness. The coal beds of the kingdom will
he exhausted, according 10 hign native author
ity, in exactly twenty-five years aud ten months.
The yearly yield from 1882 to 1891, according
to the returns recently published, gave an
average of II ,453, 800 tons. The compiler then
calculates The proportional increase OF yield
the average of which ne takes as IS per cent
On these data he estimates that IN 1901 the
303, ,347, $50 tons. He arrived at the concu-
sion that the total yield for twenty-five years
TO come, computed from current years, will be
515, ,552, 1926 tons.
The figures given by the State Department
fix the capacity of the japanese coal mines
roughly at 59,720,00O tons. and the proper
ton available for practical purposes being ac-
OF The otal capacity, II follows that the actual
resulting product of the mines will be $685.,
100000 tons. If from this amount is deducted
the annual INNINGS IN twenl y-tiVe years, TeCk-
oned from 1891, there remains only 54 237, ,674
tons. ln brief, In January. 1916, there Will re-
main IN Japan only ten months supply.
Naturally, The MaTon's humble representa-
I i've did not give these statistics, but he was
T light IN his main contention and he knew IL.
t or upon moving of with his friend he threw
last verbal shot among those behind by say
ing:
ppm no sea-lawyer, mates, but Pm way up
in my dates all the same.''