The evening times., 1900-02-23
FRANCE IN need OF COAL
A Good Market Open for the Amer
ican Product
The Scarcity of Fuel Followed by
Advanced Prices. and Large Sales
Have Been Made by Firms In the
United States-England No Longer
TO supply the Demands Of Europe.

Robert p Skinner, the United States
Consul to Marseiles, in communication
to the Department OF State. says oil the
demand for American coal in France:
Continuing my several reports on the
| introduction of American coal into the
| French market, wish to offer a few OBJ
servations concerning the prospect oil per-
manently supplying this trade, thus reply
| ing TO a number of correspondents When
| / first suggested about a year ago. that
| American coal might find buyers in the
| Mediterranean, an eminent authority on
such subjects in the United States declar-
| ed that il would be quite Impossible 10
compete with Cardiff; yet today, as mat
| ter of fact, something like 10000 tons OF
! Pocahuntas coal are coming into the Med
iterranean. and judges of prevailing con-
| ditions think that American coal may con-
! tinue to arrive for at least year, there
| being no likelihood that normal prices will
prevail within that time.
Il have never declared that American
coal could compete evenly in this market,
! but ] have pointed out more or less tenn
porary conditions during the continuance
/ of which profitable sales might be made.
I Such conditions now exist more strlklhely
| than ever Coal sells readily at any price,
| and large American sales have been made
| in spite of the fact that the very cau'es
| at work in Cardiff have also brought on
| high prices in the United States. whether
our coal having found its way into Mar
settles for the first time in our CONNER
cial history. can maintain its position, is
a question worth the study of our econo-
mists
The coal now en- route from Newport
| News will pay $3.65 freight to MarSellles,
! while the Cardiff rate 10 Marselles Is
about 81 i3. With coal difficult to get III
! England at any price. Americans can easily
! sell here at a profit; but ii is evident that
in ordinary times the low price of AmeIi-
can coal delivered at the seaboard is such
that no substantial reduction can be eX-
/ pected and means must be found 10 ap-
I proximate the rates for freight between
( Marseilles and Cardiff.
The advantage of Cardiff lies in the
fact that steamers reach England loaded
with importaJions and take an outward
, cargo OF coal on very elastic terms. In the
! United States on the other hand, ships ar
rive in ballast very frequently, anticipat-
ing a profitable outward cargo II, In the
course of time. cargoes of freight can be
/ directed to the United States from Old
World ports. thus giving TO shipowners a
double haul we can look for such changes
! in rates as will enable us TO continue in
the Mediterranean coal trade under all cir
| cumstances In the meantime. we have
in our favor a steady decrease in the Eu-
| ropean coal supply and steady increase
/ in our own production.
/ so important is the shortage OF Conti-
mental coal and so nearly is the British con-
sumption equal TO domestic requirements
that it may seriously be questioned wheth-
( er England can long continue TO supply the
! Old World with coal even after present
! pressure is removed. Thoughtful persons
look to the future to develop the use of
petroleum as a fuel and in the Caspian
! Sea most steamers are now being operat-
| ed with oil | have heard IL intimated
| that capitalists aided by the Rothschilds.
| are now projecting the establishment of
| oil depots in the seaport cities OF the
| world contemplating a revolution OF this
character and the creation of Russian
monopoly in the sale of oil for marine
| fuel.
For the moment. however. the question
is where to get coal and not its price.
When the coal of Cardiff passes S2.55 the
situation is always deemed serious. That
price has not been known for months, and.
as the miners are paid on sliding scale,
themselves securing a liberal share OF the
present advance their disposition is 10
work as few days in the week as possible,
and thus. by encouraging the scarcity IN
the supply, sustain the market
"A British coal dealer tells me that three
and four days work per week is about all
that the owners now look for from the
miners Contracts made last year for 1900
delivery in Marseilles were fixed at S6.0S
but the market price in this city has long
been higher, and contract vessels can only
obtain needed supplies at the contract
price. so low is the stock.
The following letter from Worms & Co
minimizes the amount of American coal
ordered thus far, this being generally
placed at 50 OO0 tons:
Marseiles January l6. 1900
Robert r. Skinner. Esq, Consul OF the United
States Of America, MaTseilles:
1 Sir In continuation of our letter OF YESTERDAY
and in reply to yours OF the 18Th. beg to stat,
| thar the only operation in American Soal thus fsl
! is q cargo of 45OO tons which have OF
! on tie way by the steamer Inca. If, as we fully
anticipate the result OF this trial is satisfactory
we expec1 our imports of American coal will be
| come regular and on large scale, certainly a:
long as the present desrth Of fuel and the present
! famine prices prevail in England and the
| Continent and possibly after the markets have
| returned TO a more normal condition; but, tC
the latter we are unable to speak with any degree
| OF certainty. Ii may interest you 10 know that
| rather considerable shipments of American Goa
| are now being made to the West Indies, Soutl
America. Las Palmss. Lisbon, Barcelona, Genoa
| and some few other Mediterranean ports. and W.
are informed by head Office in Paris that they
! are now endeavoring to arrange some shipmentl
| to the French channel and Atlantic ports Your
| faithfully WORMS & co.