Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-11-16

America and Egypt. But in Turkestan
Russia has come into possession of q,
cotton-growing country of great posi-
bilities. Last year a Moscow merchant
told Mr.. Norman $50, 600 bales came from
there, and this. it must be remembered.
is favored by escaping the heavy duty
which foreign cotton has to pay. An
official publication contains this state
ment: I'm the near future, probably
the greater part of the Russian cot
ton industry will be supplied with the
native raw material" But as all the
cotton of Turkestan is dependent upon
irrigation and water is scarce there,
the Moscow spinners do not yet share
this optimistic hope.
The minister of public works, in the
Journal Offciel, has published statis-
tics of the produc-
ton of the coal,
iron and steele in
dustries of France for the first six
months of 1900.
The production of anthracite and
bituminous coal was IL, jog, 966 tons OF
1000 Kilograms (2,2o4.6 pounds), as
compared with 16.101,o76 tons during
the same period of 1899, an increase OF
95,9S0 tons; that of Ignite, 332, 921 tons,
compared with 2s2,712 tons in 1899, an
increase of 50,209 tons, making total
production of mineral combustibles for
the first six months of 1900 of 16, 529, Ss7
tons, as compared with 1888, 7SS tons
in 1899, total increase of lac, 900 tons
for the first half of the wear
The annual consumption of coal in
France is about AZ 900 600 tons and the
production 100000 tons, leaving TO-
000,0 900 tons to be imported to supply
the deficiency. OF this latter about
1000, 900 tons are brought from Great
Britain and 5000, 900 tons from Belgium
and Germany. If American miners and
shippers of coal can solve the question
of cheap ocean transportation of coal
to French ports they will have fine.
prospects, even when the prices be-
come normal, of sharing with Great
Britain the 100000 tons which that
country is yearly sending to France.
To do this the freight rates to French
ocean ports should be reduced to S243
or $2.67 per ton.
Molten wood is new invention by
Mr.. De Gall, inspector of forests at
Lemur, France. By
means of dry dis
| tillation and high
pressure the escape of developing gases
is prevented, thereby reducing the
wood to a molten condition. After cool
ing off the mass assumes the character
of coal. yet without showing a trace of
the organic structure of that mineral.
| This new body is hard, but can be
shaped and polished at will; is imper-
vious to water and acids, and is a per-
| feet electrical nonconductor. Great re-
suits are expected from this new dis
coyery.
Indian corn does not mature when
planted in Germany and other coun-
tries of central and
northern Europe.
Since 1891, when
Europe imported but $4,000, COO bush
els of this grain from the United
States, it's use as cattle feed has stead
lily grown, and last years imports
from the United States alone aggre-
gated 1s9, 0OO, 900 bushels. Of this, AS
100000 bushels went to Germany,
which country also imports small
quantities from Turkey and Rou-
| mania.
After months of experiment IT has
been decided to establish telephone
communication be-
tween England and
Belgium, to b q
opened to the public about February 1.
1901. The Belgian line will start from
La Panne, near the French frontier.
and will be about As miles long. The
tariff is fixed at $1.93 per three minutes.