The Washington times., 1901-08-09
THE COAL INDUSTRY.

The British Board of Trade has issued
a statement concerning the production
and consumption of coal and the num-
Der of persons employed in coal produc-
ton in the principal countries of the
world during a number of years past.
Ihe result shows that the coal industry
IN the various countries is growing. for 1t
Is seen that the amounts produced IN 1900
were in all cases greater than in the pre-
ceding year, the increase in the produc-
ton of the United States being note
worthy. proving as it does that for the
last two years the production of the
United States has exceeded that OF the
United Kingdom of Great Britain, while
the production of Germany represents less
than one-half. and that of France and
Belgium together less than a quarter of
that of the United States. The total pro-
duction amounts to something like $50. .Ooo.-
0C0 gross tons per annum. for which Great
Britain and the United States together
account for nearly three-quarters. AS to
the value of the coal at the pits mouth.
figures for 1890 are said to show $50 for
Great Britain, $40 for France and Bel
GUM. sl.S6 for Germany. and S1.20 for the
United States presumably soft coal only.
The value of the coal was nearly sta
tionary in the United States. as compared
with the figures of twelve years preceding,
while in Great Britain the value was more
than double the figures at that time. This
would seem to show that the cost of labor
and development in Great Britain has pro-
gressed at a very rapid ratio. while the
introduction of machinery in the United
States has tended to offset any such ex-
pansion in the initial cost.
The countries which export coal in ex-
cess of the amounts they import are Great
Britain. Germany. the United States, Bel
gium. and Japan, and the coal-producing
countries which import coal In excess of
the amount they export are Russia, Swe-
den. France. Spain. Italy. and Austria BY
far the larger tonnage under this head is
France, which imports 100000 and ex-
ports perhaps 2.5Go,COo tons. After taking
into consideration these facts of imports
and exports one comes to the figures re-
garding the consumption OF coal
In 1900 the United States consumed 239.-
5000 tons; the United Kingdom 166. 7S6. .0c0
tons: Germany, 80, ,9Oi, ,ooo tons, and France
46 016, 900 tons.
From this 1t will be seen that the con-
sumption of coal in the United States
surpasses that of Great Britain or any
other country named. though, reduced to
per capita. it is not so large as that of
Great Britain. In making up its estf-
mate the board of trade figures are evil
IDENTIFY made by dividing the tonnage by
the number of inhabitants, though
there are many sections of the
United States wherein the population Is
large and yet the coal consumption is
really very small. notably the southern
States. Apart from the demands of steam
sh'nning, the consumption OF coal per
gtslfi ~ hn h.
est proportion in these countries where
steam traction and machinery worked By
steam are most in use. such as Great
Britain, the United States and Belgium. |
and the lowest in those countries where |
steam is, comparatively speaking. little |
used. 1t is said that the quantity of coal |
for locomotive purposes by the |
railway companies in Great Britain was |
Il, 100000 tons last year: in France it |
amounted to 100000 tons. and for the |
United States it is safe TO say that the |
amount was 20. 90. go tons.
The prime reason why the United States
stands at the head is the wide area Of its |
,oal fields, and the number of States in |
which coal is produced. Pennsylvania
illinois is the second State in the Union
n the production OF coal, West Virginia
hird. and Ohio fourth. Following these
n order are Alabama, Iowa, Maryland.
Indiana Colorado. Kansas, Kentucky, |
Missouri, Tennessee and Wyoming. These
States draw their sur.i- from four of the
seven fields into which the coal area of
he United States are divided. These four
,oal fields are the Appalachian. which ex-
ends from Pennsylvania to Alabama, in
,lusive, and embraces. besides those two
states. Ohio, Maryland, Virginia. West
Virginia, eastern central Kentucky. Ten
lessee. and Georgia The central. en-
'racing Illinois. Indiana, and western
The western, containing the
oal areas in Iowa. Kansas. Missouri. In
Ian Territory. Arkansas, and Texas. the
Rocky Mountain field, and the Pacific
Hope States.
In discussing the varying features of the
,oal trade of this country there is one
which is of more than passing interest,
md one which surely should not be over
ooked. for it means much to us as ma
ion. The returns of the exports of coal
rom this country for the fiscal year end
ng with June show a growth of more
han 100000 tons as compared with two
ears ago, while the increase in value of
he total tonnage exported is upward of
8. .000,0o0. Our exports during the last year
cached 1876. l49 tons. valued at So 2.3I1. 1876.
IS compared with 7.1Ss.6i tons in 1900. and
,051. 98 in 1893, valued at sl9.502, Sl3 and