The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1900-01-18
The Worlds Supply Center.

The Worlds Supply Center
When Europe's supply f any sort of
a product is short it Immediately turns
to the United States to meet it's need.
This has been the case in wheat and
other agricultural products for many
decades. The article whose shortage
now begins to trouble the Old World is
coal. A coal famine is threatened on
the other side of the Atlantic, and
England, France, Italy, Germany and
other countries are anxious concerning
it. Several causes may be assigned
for the failure of the coal supply.
Though there was apparently small
increase in the coal production in Eng
land in 1899, and larger gain in Ger
many ,sthe supply in Europe in general
seems to have been hardly in proper
ton to the population. The. increase
quent1y the demand for coal, seems to
have grown faster than population.
Then, too, Eng1and's demand on &C
count of the war is very much greater
than it ever has been in any previous
year.
Some of the Italian journals, how
ever, as shown by dispatch from
Rome, have pointed out how the short
age can be met. The coal famine in
Europe, one of those pa oers said,
'wil1 rebound to the benefit of Amer
lea, by enormously increasing her coal
EXPORTS This, of course, is the view
which will be justified by events.
Americas exports of coal have been
growing in recent years, and they are
bound to increase still faster in the
near future. The shipments of this
product in the present calendar year
will probably be much greater than
they were in 1899, and those were evil
IDENTIFY ahead of the exports of 1893,
although the figures for the calendar
year 1899 are not yet at hand. The in
creased demand for American coal, in
fact, comes in an opportune time. In
1899 the coal output of this country
was 245, 100000 tons, an increase of
$4,000, 900 tons over 1898. In 1899, for
the first time in the country's history,
the United States took the leading
place among the nations as a coal pro-
Queer, Great Britain having held that
rank before. Great Britain is now in
the second place, with Germany and
France following, in this order.
Europe will doubtless be glad to
learn that the possibilities of coal pro-
duction in America are practically
Hnlit1ess. However great the Old
Worlds need may chance to be here
after in coal, the United States can
promptly meet it. In fact, very near
1y any product that Europe lacks can
ultimately be furnished by the United
States in quantities the demand A
week or two ago Missouri's state geo
logist declared that when his state is
fu11p explored and developed it will
be the greatest producer of lead and
zinc in the world, a large producer of
copper, nickel and cobalt, and always
a producer of from The character
and structure of the rocks, too, in a
large part of Missouri, indicate Charge
deposits of coal yet untouched, as well
as vast accommodations of petroleum
and natural gas" And Missouri is
only one of dozen states which are
rich in mineral resources of various
kinds. A little over hundred years
ago, when Jay was negotiating with
England the treaty which bore his
name, he appears not to have been
aware that the United States could
supply cotton in any important guam
tity to Europe. Not only does the Old
World look to the United States today
for by far the greater part of its cotton,
but considerable quantity of it's food
of various sorts is furnished here,
while coal, iron ore and the multitude
of manufactures which are generated
out of these, are going to Europe in
larger and larger amounts every year.
In steadily increasing degree the
United States is becoming great
supply center for. the globe. Pioneer
| Press.