The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-12-03
COAL SITUATION
THROUGHOUT EUROPE
REPORTS OF AMERICAN GONSULS
Prices, Freight Rates, and Market
Conditions QuOted-Comments ON
the Demand and supply ia
the Various Countries.

The State Department today publishes
interesting extracts from the annual re-
ports OF a number Of the United States
consular Offices in Europe with reference
to the coal situation On the Continent
Prices, conditions, and market conditions
throughout Europe are quoted Following
are some of the extracts:
Consul Hossfeld- of Trieste. Austria, 0c-
tober 81, says:
Previous to the year 1906 no American
coal had ever found its way to this mar
ket- Of the 20. 000 tons imported last year
81 per cent came from Great Britain and
II per cent, or about 46, coo tons, from the
| United States. This was a satisfactory
beginning. For the first six months of
this year 81, 600 tons were imported from
our country In view Of the low prices
now ruling for Cardiff, however, the total
| shipments for the year will probably not
! be larger than those Of 1900 There will
doubtless be occasional importations Of
our coal, and II there were q depot es-
tablished at Trieste. believe that from
10000 to 200, 900 tons year could be dis
posed Of.
Steam coal is usually sold IN Europe on
longtime contracts. and when American
mine owners are ready 10 follow this plan
a large trade can be permanently estab-
lished. Ocean freights have been Sc IN
steady that the European dealer could not
satisfactorily calculate the cost.
The excellent qualities OF our coal are
| recognized here Trieste engineers be-
Iieve that good American coal is fully
| equal to The Cardiff product My obser-
Fation has convinced me, however, ethat
| shipments for this market should consist
| only Of .geII-screened lump coal Fine
| coal does not bring enough 10 pay its
| freight
The rates Of freight from Cardiff to
Trieste now range from g1S2 &c 21-si
| per ton, according TO the size Of the Sct-
| lisr against S3.I6 . year ago.
In Belgium and France.
Vice Consul Van Hee, Of Client, Bel
| GUM, says that the local price Of Bel
GUM coal is at present about $3.50.
| Consul WinsIow, Of Lfege, BeIgiu.4l,
/ October Is, 1901 says that the price of
! coal gradually diminished from January,
/ 1901. 10 September. 1901. when rise Of
| from 20 70 40 cents a ton was made Ytta
| the prospect Of a greater Increase
| Consul PTickett- Of Rheims. trance.
| October 10. 1901. states that the price of
| good steaming coal IL that part OF France
4 is 1886 per metric ton (2Ze5 pOuHds}.
| against So 20 last year. Coal for heating
/ and culinary purposes has declined II re-
| tail from S1o-22 to Sis
| Consul General skinner. OF MarSeiIIes
/ notes that business IN American eel has
| passed the experimental stage spite
/ OF the decline II freight rates frSn Cardiff
| cur coal has not only held is on n. hut
| has gained in Importance. The freight
| rate from Newport News to Mar-efGes is
/ about S2.31. against s. p year asG
Consul BEuz10t, OF ST Eticssne- says that
/ an enquiry vas recently made 2" TIE
| large iron interests in France as to the
| possibility of securing coal from the Uni
! ted States, and they decided that the su-
/ perior quality Of cur product compensated
| for the increased expenses of transporta-
| ton; consequently. It may be confidently
| expected that il the near future our coal
| viii have 70 md permanent market in
! France
Consul Agent Hagelin. OF Cette. Gays
present prices fer coal range from S5-4G,
| gas, TO 1886, steam
The British Markets
Consul MetcaIf, OF NevcastIe-on-Tyne
says that the quotations OF British coal
| on October %, 1901, were Best North
| CUMBERLAND steam coal, S2-47 +. o. B.;
| steam smans- S1-34 TO 81 40. Durham gas
| coal, $3-04; unscreened bunkers. S2.6S to
| s277: household Sl-26 10 SLT4 He con-
It's stated that 80 600 tons Of American
| screened steam coal have been bought at
$43S c. /. f. Genoa. OF tbiR price. SI.s5
goes for freight, leaving about S2.43 q ten
! E o. b. for the coal At present best
| Northumberland could not be delivered in
| Genoa at less than 30 to s. cents above
| this price, notwithstanding the extraor-
dinarily low freights now ruling
| American coal has been delivered in
| Norway with a freight rate from Norfolk
| to Horton OF S2-04 per ton
\ cargo Of American anthracite has
been sent TO Berlin. and it is said it viii
be sold there 20 cents per ton cheaper
| than the equivalent Welsh anthracite
Consul Phillips, OF Cardiff, says that
| best steam coal IS selling there al from
| S445 TO 1886 per ton
| Consul Sprague. of Gibraltar. gives the
price of coal at that port IN October as
s6.95 per ton E O. b, for all descriptions
| Most OF the coal is stored IN huIks in the
| bay for supplying ships bunkers-
/ In Italy and Spain
Consul Smith, OF Leghorn. Italy. says
that 1901 viii show large advance in the
imports of American eoa5 into Italy The
| quantity thus FAR received has been
bought n an experimental way; it has
/ given satisfaction IN most cases, ard q
contract for 20 coo tons has recently been
| made by local agent with an American
producer.
Consul HeingarJner, Of Catapia, Italy,
quotes the prices + O. B. that port as fol-
lows: Newcastle, $4.55; Cardiff, $=-5l; an
thracfte S6-56-
Consul RidgeIy. of Malaga. Spain. says
that the prices of steam coal f. o. b. Ma
IaEa are from S4-31 10 $3.50 He says
that the publication Of the United States
Special Consular Reports, Foreign Mar
kets for American Coal, in 1900, drew the
attention of Cardiff producers to the dan
ger of cur competition in this line. and
caused them to have freight rates on
| their product reduced
American CoaI in France.
On the subject Of American coal in
! TacaDb 10 T-uft