New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-06-17
THE GREATEST COAL PRODUCER.
GREAT GAINS BY THE UNITED STATES
ENGLAND CROWDED OUT OF HER
PRE-EMINENCE.

Washington. June 16 (speciaD.-The remarkable
increase in coal expectations from the United
States, coupled with the fact that this country be-
came in 1899 the worlds largest producer of coal,
gives special interest to elaborate discussion OF
the worlds coal product published by the Bureau
Of Statistics of the Treasury Department In the
april number Of The Monthly Summary of Com
merce and Finance" Expectations of coal from
the United States in the ten months ending with
April We're nearly so per cent larger than those of
the same months of the preceding fiscal year and
80 per cent larger than those of the corresponding
months Of 1898. while the production 1898
was not only the largest in the history Of the
United States, but larger than that 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
same period. The significance of this fact cannot
be overestimated. Coal is now more than ever
the material energy of a country the universal
aid, The factor in every thing do" The relative
abundance or scarcity Of COAL therefore, is the
truest Index Of country's position among its in
dustrtal rivals According to recent information
steamers have been chartered to carry coal from
America TO st. Petersburg and Stockholm as well
as 4Sa to Italian, French and German ports. While
abnormal conditions Of the British coal rparkrt
there Is no doubt that in time this country will be
coal by Foreign ndusa d0an gqes W Th iee
until recently have been drawing upon the British
output This is the more probable since cost of
true Of European coal producing countries
In 1886 the total coal product of the world was
6o4 JVVO short tons, or 60! 100000 metric tons Until
as late a period as 1873 the worlds product had
never p zen nan SO great being then only zoe 100000
ductlon been as much as q third as large it is
present IN 1874 the worlds product was only 174
W9V0 metric tons, or less than % cent OF that
The production is chiefly in the hands Of three
na1ons--the Americans, the British and the Ger
earlier the combined output Of these three coun
tries has 4yeraged year for year, about fve-sxths
per cent OF the worlds population, they have pro-
the remaining 80 per cent of the worlds inha bants
have produced only about II per cent of the coal
be disregarded the immense preponderance of coal
RFoqhction in these countries must be conceded.
d1ces and consumes more coal per capita than any
the fact of its small population placing it in the
second rank of coal producing countries.
While the continued output of these three coun-
tries has kept pace with the production Of the
mateTjaI aItered en- iSfs th p1so9 mas been
produced over three times as much either the
countries being approximately g. iiz and i64 per
$50 the otpT To' Of he Tnita9 ely By
considerably greater than the combined output of
the United States and Germany their proportion of
the total being 49, 20 and IS per cent respectively
The next half decennial period witnessed remark
abe increase IN the American product and corre-
sPondlng relative decrease In that Of Great Britain,
decade, and in 1896 the output Of the United King
States 80 per cent and that Of germany 1872 per
clearly show that the beld nitedP neo st@Ses
losing It's former pre-eminence as coal producing
power, and that while its production is Increasing
rapidly It's absolute Increase is less than that Of
the United States and its relative increase con
sderably less than that OF either the United States
or Germany. In 1858 the production Of these three
countries-the United Kingdom. the United States
and Germany, IN the order named-was 1l5 500 600
$4,000 and 36200010 tons; in 1897 their output
vas Z26400 0, 10000 600 and lS2 100000 tons
specuvely. The absolute Increase in the British
production was llo.9Qe00. as compared with $1,000
900 for Germany and l6S 10000 for the
United States. The proportional increase during
these three decades OSCs1sg7) 964 per cent for
the United Kingdom, compared with 1851 per
sent for Germany and 5S23 per cent FOR the United