The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-06-05
United Kingdom Ranks First, With
United States Second.
OUR IMMENSE INCREASE
WILL SOON BE GREATEST PRO-
DUCER IN THE WORLD.
As An Exporter, However, We Take
Low Rank-France Largest I'm
porting Country-We Produced
1885, 900 Tons In 1S98-our
Consumption In 1897.

Washington, June 4.-The coal pro-
duction and consumption of the world
during the past fifteen years are pre-
scented in some tables just prepared by
the treasury bureau of statistics. These
show that while the United Kingdom
is still the largest coal producer of the
world, the United States is a close
second, and if the present rate of gain
is continued will soon become the lead
ing coal producing country of the
world. The coal production of the
United Kingdom in 1897 was 202, 100000
tons; that of the United States, 1l9.OOO,
600 tons; Germany, $1,000, 900; France,
&c, 000, 900.
The United States has gained much
more rapidly during the fifteen years
under consideration than has the
United Kingdom or any of the import
ant coal producing countries of the
world, her gain during the fifteen years
being over - per cent, and that of the
United Kingdom less than 2 per cent.
The announcement just made by the
geological survey, that the coal product
of the United States in 1898 was 49,,
$4,000 short tons. against 226. 2S7, 900 for
Great Britain, shows that the United
States soon will become the leading
coal producing nation of the world.
Low Rank As Exporter.
AS an exporter of coal, however, the
United States takes low rank in pro-
portion to its production, and stands
fourth in the list of coal exporting
countries.
In 1897 the expectations of coal from
the United Kingdom were $4,000 600
tons; from Germany. 100000; from
Belgium, over 100000, and from the
United States, little less than 4.OOO,-
600. In 1898 the quantity exported was
slightly above 100000 tons. Austria
lasia comes next to the United States
as a. coal exporting country, her ex-
ports amounting to nearly 100000
tons, while France exported about O.
100000 tons; Japan, 100000 tons. and
Canada about 1,250.o00 tons in 1897.
France is the largest coal importing
country, her importations in 1887 being
nearly 1000, 900 tons, while Germany
imported 100000 tons; Austria Hun
gary, 5,600,000 tons; Italy. 100000 tons;
Canada, nearly 100000 tons; Belgium,
nearly 5000, geo tons; Russia. 100000
tons; Sweden, over 2.250,060 tons; the
United States, nearly 100000 tons, and
Australasia, 100000 tons.
Great Britain is also the largest con-
sumner of coal in proportion to popula-
ton, her coal consumption in 1897 be-
ing 3.S7 tons per capita; that of Bel
GUM, 81 tons: the United States, 2.42;
Germany, 1.5S; Canada, L.; France,
.9S; Australasia, 81; Sweden, so;
Austria Hungary, 81; Spain, IS; Italy,
Is; Russia, 90, and Japan, .07 of a
ton per capita.
Satisfactory Showing.
According to these figures which are
summarized from a report of the coal
production of the principal countries
of the world, just issued by the Brit
ish government, the United States now
produces about 80 per cent of the coal
of the world, the coal product of the
fourteen countries enumerated in the
tables being. in 1897. 566 600, 900 tons, of
which the United States produced 49,
000. 900 tons, while in 1893 she produced
81 per cent of the total product of the
countries enumerated. The 1898 figures
make an even more satisfactory show
ing for the United States.