The evening times., 1900-06-15
INCREASED COAL EXPORTS
The United States Now Leading All
other Nations.

other Nations.
The remarkable increase in coal expor-
tations from the United States. coupled
with the fact that this country became in
1899 the worlds largest producer Of coal.
gives special interest to an elaborate dis
eussion OF the worlds coal product, pub
lished by the Bureau Of Statistics of the
Treasury Department in the April num-
Der of the Monthly Summary of Com
merce and Finance" Expectations Of coal
frmo the United States in the ten months
ending with April were nearly so per cen.
larger than those of the same months OF
the preceding fiscal year and 30 per cent
larger than those of the corresponding
months Of 1855. while the total production
FOR 1888 was not only the largest in this
eouItry's history, but larger than that Of
any other country in the world
FOR the hrst time the United States fig
ures show a larger production thar the
British figures for the same period TIE
significance of this fact cannot be over
estimated Coal is now more than ever
the material energy of a country. ire
universal aid, the factor in every thing
We do" The relative abundance or
scarcity OF coal, therefore, is the
truest index Of cOuntry's position among
rs industrial rivals. According 10 recent
information steamers have been chartered
70 carry coal from America to ST Peters
Durg and Stockholm, as well a. to Italian
French, and German ports. While these
exports may be due mainly TO the present
abnormal conditions OF The British coal
market, there is no doubt that In time
MS country VIII be called upon TO supply
an even larger part Of the coal needed %
foreign industrial countries. which rn4iT
TECenflE hau hesa-7
ish output This is the more probable
since cost OF production and prices of eoal
show a falling teutsncy for this country
whereas the oppIsi,e holds true OF Euro
pean coal-produei- countries
The article quote continues:
The rapidity with which the production
or coal has increased may be appreciated
Wnen We consider the present volume OF
tnat production and reflect IN how recent
time the production formed but very
small fraction OF that quantity IN 1885
the total coal product of the world was
56f.ooo.0oe short tons. or SEA, ,e00 600 metric
tons Until as late a period az 1878 the
worlds product had never been half so
great. being then only 202. 600 600 metric
tcrs, and not until 1858 had the worlds
production been as much as a third as
large as 1t Is al present. In 1854 the
world S product was only ia. 900. coo metric
tons. or less than % per cent Of that OF
ton for stlH earlier periods cannot be |
determined witE any pretence Of aeon
racyi but on the basis OF the British stat
lstlcs from 1851. and OF estimates fer ear
Her periods. and from such statistics as
are obtainable from France. Germany. I
Belgium. and Austria Hungary. an sp-
pToximation may be made 20 the actual !
production
In 1850 the worlds production Of coal
was about l44,000-000 metric tons. or less .
than one-fOurth that Of 1896 and much
less tnan that Of either the United States {
or the United Kingdom AT present Ten 4
years earlier the worlds production
amounted 10 only about Sc 600 600 metric /
tons. or about tpo-ffteeuths Of the pres
ent worlds production and considerably {
less than the present output of. Peunsyl- I
Vanl2 alone. In 1870 the production vas
much smaller stiIl. being about *. 900. Geo 4
metric tons, OF about one-thirteenth OF
the present output. while during tie
three-quarters OF a century since IS20 /.
When the output was about 17.000. 600 I
metric tons, the production has increased /
$500 per cent
The production is chiefly in the hands
OF three n2tiOnS-the Americans the Brit
ish. and the Germans During the last
thirty years. and even earlier the CON-
bined output Of these three countries has
averaged. year for year. about fve-s sixths Z
but about 10 per cent OF the worlds pop
uiation, they have produced about s3 per
cent OF the mineral fuel while the re-
naming 50 per cent OF the worlds inhabi-
tsnts have produced only about II per cent
OF the coal. and even If the savage and
semi-b barbarOUs nations be disregarded
the immense prepOnderance Of coal pro
cuction in these countries must be con
ceded To this group might be added Bel
GUM, which produces and consumes more
coal per capita than any other country
except the United Kingdom, but for the
fact OF its small population. placing IT
in the second rank OF cOal-pTOtucing coun-
tries
While the cor -fnued output OF these
three countries has kept pace with the
production OF the rest OF the world their
relative position has been materially al
tered In 1865 the United Kingdom pro-
duced over three times as much as either
the United States or Germany. the out
put OF these countries being approximate
iy S2, Il IL, and Is II per cent Of the
worlds production, respectively. BY 1S75
the output OF the United Kingdom was
sun considerably greater than the com
bined output Of the United States and
Germany. their proportion OF the total be-
ing -, 20. and Is per cent. respectively
Ihe next half-decennial period witnessed
remarkable increase in the American
crease in that Of Great Britain. the re-
spective proportions being Sc. 2S and II
per cent. This increase was maintained
IN the present decade and in 1886 the out
put % the United Kingdcm was only "a
per cent that OF the United States 30 Uer
cent, and that OF Germany 1872 per cent.
OF the worlds total output
These statistics clearly show that the
United Kingdom is rapidly losing its for
mer pre-emtuence as coal-p-oducine
power. and that while its production is in
creasing rapidly its absolute increase is
less than that OF the United States. and
Its relative increase considerably less
than that of either the United States or
Germany In 1S6S the production OF these
three countries-the United Kingdom the
United States, and Germany-in the order
named. was 115.500. 000. g. 500. .o00. ana 3s.-
zcO.OS0 net tons, in 1897 their OUTPUT was
22b. 100000 2e0, ,200. .00O and 1872. 70O 600 net
tons, respectively. The absolute increase
In the British production was 10 600 Oo0
as compared with $500 GOO for GERMANY
and l6S.600.000 net tons IDr the United
States The proportional increase during
these three decades (1SeS- 1897 was 9s
per cent for the United Kingdom as com
pared with 1851 per cent for Germany ana