The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-08-19
Big Increase in Coal Exports.

Coal expectations from the United
States during the fiscal year just ended,
as shown by the treasury bureau of
statistics, amounted to $22,3lI .496,
against S19, 502 ,Sl3 in the fiscal year 1900,
1913 SCI OPS in 1899. sll .OOS 643 in 1897, slO.-
,O62 in 1896, and sS.39l ,026 in 1891.
Thus is the value of coal expectations
from the United States has doubled
since 1897 and nearly trehled in the
decade. These figures relate to values.
Measured by quantity the increase has
been even greater, the exports in 1901
being 76I6,l49 tons against 2,399o39
tons in 1891, thus making the total ex-
ports of 1901 in quantity more than
three times as much as in 1891.
The United States now stands third
in the list of coal exporting countries
of the world. The coal export figures
of the principal countries of the world
in 1899 show that while Belgium slight
| ly exceeded the United States in the
total number of tons exported. her inn
ports were more than one-half as
great as her exports, making her net
expectation of coal much less than that
of the United States. The figures of
coal exports during 1900 recently pub
lished by the British government,
copy of which has just reached the
burea of statistics, show that the coal
IeXpOrts of the three principal coal eX-
porting COuntrieS-the United States,
| Germany and the United KingdOm--in
1900 We're: United States. 1865 900 tons:
Germany lS,O55 600 tons; and United
Kingdom, 5S,4O5, 600 Thus, while the
growth of the coal exports from the
| United States shows a large percentage
| of increase. these figures of the eXpor-
tation Of coal from Germany and the
| United Kingdom show that the field
occupied by those countries is still
much larger than that which the Unit
! ed states now supplies.
In growth of both exports and pro-
ductiOn, however, the United Statese
had made much more rapid advance
than any other country. The total
quantity of coal produced in the United
! Kingdom was, in 1885, 157,5lSO 600 tons
in 1900, 225,lSl,O00 TONS while in the
United States the production was, in
| 1856. 100, 664 600, and in 1900, 245 5,422, 600.
Thus the United Kingdom since 1856
mas increased her production but about
30 per cent, while the United States
has increased hers nearly $50 per sent.
| The cost of coal has meantime in
creased much more rapidly in the
United Kingdom than in the United
States. The value Of the l5I million
tons Of coal mined in the United King
dom in 1856 is put by the statement of
the British government above referred
To at IS million pounds sterling, and
of the 225 million tons mined in 1900 is
put at l2l millions sterling. Thus
while the quantity mined in the United
Kingdom has increased but 90 per cent
from 1856 to 1900, the value has mean
time increased over 200 per cent ON
the other hand, the value of the 10C
million tons of coal mined in the United
States in 1856 was, according to the
same authority, 80 million pounds ster.
ling, and that of the PAS million tons
mined in 1900, 67 millions sterling
Thus, in the United States. while the
quantity increased about $50 per cent
the value of the coal mined increased
but little over 100 per cent.
The relative increase in the cost ot
coal in the United Kingdom and the
United States is shown in an ever
more striking form in the statement o.
the British government above referred
to by "a table which gives the price
! per ton of coal In the United Kingdom
, and United States in 1885 and 1900, re
spectivey. 1t shows that the price II
the United Kingdom advanced from
> shillings per ton to los. 3D. from 1855
to 1900, while in the United States /
fell from 6s. to 5s. 5lad. per ton in tn,
same time. Another table in the sam,
statement shows the relative value pc
ton of coal produced taken at the pit,
mouth in the United States, Unite,
/, Kingdom, Germany, France and Bel
> gium, in 1899, to be as follows:
La