The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-06-19
WORLDS COAL OUTPUT.

The remarkable increase in coal expectations
from the United States. coupled with the fact
that we became In 1899 the worlds largest pro-
ducer Of coal, gives special interest to an elab'
crate 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 Commerce and Finance.
Expectations Of coal from the United States in
the ten months ended with April were nearly
90 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 our total production for
1898 was not only the largest in our history,
but larger than those OF any other country in
the world.
For the first time the United States figures
show a larger production than the British fig
ures for the same period. The significance OF
this fact cannot be over.estimated. Coal is
now more than ever "the material energy Of a
country, the 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 its industrial
rivals According to recent information steamers
have been chartered to carry coal from America
to st. Petersburg and Stockholm, as well as to
| Italian. French and German ports. While these
exports may be due mainly to the present alb
normal condition Of the British coal market,
there is no doubt that in time this country will
be called upon to supply even larger part
OF the coal needed by foreign industrial
tries, which, until recently, have been drawing
upon the British 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 European coal
producing countries.
The rapidty with which the production of
qad hn NaI ,k,a
we consider the present volume OF that pro-
duction and reflect in how recent q time the
production formed but very small fraction Of
that quantity In 1896 the total coal .product
OF the world was G64 million short tons or Goa
| million metric tons. Until as late a period as
1873 the worlds product had never been half
30 great, being then only 202 million metric
tons. and not until 1865 had the worlds pro.
duction been as much as third large as it is
at present. In 1864 the worlds product was
only ia million metric tons, or less than 20
per cent. of that of 1896. The statistics Of
the worlds production for still earlier periods
cannot be determined with any pretense of ac-
ouracy; but on the basis Of the British statistics
from 1854 and of estimates for earlier periods
and from such statistics as are obtainabe from
France, Germony, Belgium and Austria. Hun
gary, an approximation may be made to the
actual production. In 1860 the worlds pro.
duction OF coal was about 1A million metric
tons, or less than one Fourth that Of 1896 and
much less than that of either the United States
or the United Kingdom at present Ten wears
earlier the worlds production amounted to only
about So million metric tons, OF about two-if
teenths OF the present worlds production and
considerably less than the present output of
Pennsylvania alone. In 1910 the production was
much smaller still, but about As million metric
tons. or about one-thirteenth of the present
output, while during the three.quartcrs OF a cen.
tury since 1870 when the output was about II
million metric tons, the production has increased
5000 per cent.
The production is chiefly in the hands Of three
nations, the Americans. the British and the
Germans. During the last thirty years and
even earlier, the combined output of these three
countries has averaged year for year about five.
sixths of the worlds total output. Possessing
but about 10 per cent. Of the worlds population,
they have produced about SO per cent, of the
mineral fuel while the remaining 90 per cent
OF the worlds inhabitants have produced ONLY
about IL per cent. Of the coal, and even IL the
savage and semi-barbarous nations be disre
garded' the immense preponderance of coal pro-
duction in these countries must be conceded
10 TINS group might be added Belgium which
produces and consumes more coal per capita
than any other country except the United King.
dom, but for the fact OF its small population.
placing it in the second rank OF coal.producine
| countries.
While the continued output of these three
countries has kept pace with the production Of
the rest of the world, their relative position
has been materially altered. In 1868 the United
Kingdom produced over three times as much "a
either the United States or Germany, the output
OF those countries being approximately 80, liIa
and 1919 per cent. of the worlds production re-
spectively. BY 1875 the output of the United
Kingdom was still considerably greater than the
combined output of the United States and Ger.
many, their proportion Of the total being As per
cent, 20 per cent and IS per cent respectively
The next half-decennal period witnessed a re.
| markable increase in the American product and
a corresponding relative decrease in that OF
Great Britain, the respective proportions being
&c. 2s and II per cent This increase was main.
tanned in the present decade, and in 1896 the
output Of the United Kingdom was only "a ner
| cent, that Of the United States 80 per 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 former pre-emnence as a coal producing
power, and that while its production is increas
ing 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 1868 the production OF
these three countries, the United Kingdom the
United States and Germany, in the order named
was ll5.5 million, 3lG million, and 36.2 million
| net tons in 1907 their output was 1854 million
2oo2 million and 1927 million net tons respec.
lively. The absolute increase in the British
production was 100 million, as compared with
oo5 million for Germany and 1856 million ret
tons for the United States. The proportional
increase during these three decades Gs6s.lss0
was 96.4 per cent. for the United Kingdom. rs
| compared with 266.I per cent for Germany and
1928 per cent. for the United States.