The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-06-08

In a pamphlet issued yesterday by the
Statistical Bureau of the Treasury Depart
ment. Chit austin has the following to
say concerning The Coal Trade Of the
Uniteo Statee AID the Worlds Coal Sup
ply and Trade:
"0ur modern industrial system is so
closely dependent upon an adequate supply
of mineral fuel that any disturbance OF
normal conditions in the coal trade reacts
Immediately upon the general state OF in
dustry. The past year, while showing a
total output OF probably not less than u.s.
900. coo net tons uf coal. the largest amount
ever produced, and an increase over the
preceding years figures of to per cent.
has witnessed, however, a considerable
rise of price OF this article nearly all over
the world. The higher price of coal was
painfully felt not only by the domestic
cons ur4I-s. but also by the industrial world
at large. In some cases the difficulty in
obtaining adequate coal supplies proved
so enormous that factories and workshops
had &c close with large orders on hand.
In this country the greater demand for
coal. due. as in Europe, mainly to gen
eral revival of industry taxed to the Ut
a general rise of freight rates. How
ever, in view u the enormous output of
last year. which is estimated at no less
than 25S. 5S9. $50 tons net, an increase over
the preceding years of about IS $50 900
tons. or over II per cent. the United States
was the only great industrial country in
which the available coal supply proved
adequate to rect the extraordinary de-
mand for its Industrial and domestic con-
sumption.
The figures showing the total output
for last year are the largest on record in
the history OF the coal production not only
OF this TIT of any other country in the
world. For the first time the United
States figures show a larger production
than the British figures for the correspond
ing period. The significance Of this fact
cannot be overestimated- Coal is now
more than ever the material energy Of q
country. the universal aid the factor in
everything We do The relative abun-
dance or scarcity Of coal. therefore. is the
truest index OF a cOuntry's position among
its Industrial rivals. According 10 recent
information steamers have been chartered
to carry coal from America to St Peters
burg and Stockholm as well as TO Italian,
French. and German ports. While these
exports may be due mainly 10 the present
abnormal conditions Of the British coal
country viii be called upon to supply ar
even larger part of the coal needed by for
eign industrial countries which until re-
Gently. have been drawing upon the Brit
ISL output. This is the more probable
since cost OF production and prices OF coal
show falling tendency for this country.
whereas the opposite holds true Of Euro
pean coal-produciDg countries
''One of the u0,t characteristic features
Of mn Ind oil Gax ,ar~~h aG haar
the rise of the coal industry. Modern So
ciety relies upon coal as the fuel source
OF power AMI the terms iron age. ma
chine age, and age of steam may all be
translated the age OF coal.
The rapidity with which the produc-
ton Of coal has Increased may be appre-
ciated when We consider the present vol
ume of that production and reflect In low
recent a time the production formed bu.
very small fraction OF that quantity. In
1896 the total coal production OF the world
was $4,000 600 short tons or 604 600 900
metric tons. Until as late a period as 1873
the worlds production had never been half
so great. being only 292, 00O. 900 metric tons
in that year. and not until 1868 had the
worlds production been as much as a third
as large as il is at present BY 1864 the
worlds production was only ia O00. coo
metric tons. c. less than % per cent OF the
production of 1896. The statistics of tire
worlds production for still earlier periods
cannot be determined with any pretence
OF accuracy; bit on the basis of the Brit
ish statistics from 1854. and of estimates
for earlier periods. and from such statistics
as are obtainabie from France. Germany,
Belgium. and Austria Hungary, an ap-
Proclamation may be made 20 the actual
production. " 1850 the worlds produc-
ton OF coal AS about 142 000. 900 long or
144.000,000 metric tons. or less than ode
fourth Of the production of 1896. and con
siderably less han the production Of eth
er the United Kingdom or the United
States at present. Ten years earlier the
worlds production amounted TO only about
Sc. 100000 metric tons, about two-fifteenths
of the worlds present production, and con-
siderably less than the present output of
the single State Of Pennsylvania
I'm 1910 the production was much
smaller still. amounting 10 little over As
100000 metric IONS, or about one-thir-
teenth OF the present output, while dur
ing the thTee-quarters of a century since