Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-08-22
COAL EXPORTS INCREASING.
United States Now Ranks Third in the
World

Washington. Aug. 20.-Coal expor
tatlons from the United States during
tne fiscal year just ended. as shown
by the treasury bureau of statistics
amounted to $22,317496. against SO.
oO2,Sl3 in the fiscal year 1900 s1a-
66l.O2S in 1899. sl1 ,0OS. e43 in 1897
SlO.646,062 in 1896 and Ss.591 O26 in
1881. Thus the value of coal eynorta
tons from the United States has don.
Dled since 1897 and nearly trebled in
the decade. These figures relate to
values. Measured by quantity the in
eiease mas Deen even greater, the eX-
ports IN 1891 being 7.676,149 tons.
against 2,399.O39 tons in 1891. thus
making the total exports of 1901 in
quantlty more than three times as
much as in 1891.
Inc united States now stands third
IN the list of coal exporting countries
Oh me world. The coal export figures
OF the principal countries of the world
In 49, show that. while Belgium
slightly exceeded the United States in
the total number of tons exported. her
imports 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.
llshed by the British government a
copy OF which has Just reached the bu
reau OF statistics, show that the coal
exports of the three principal coal ey.
porting countries-The United States
Germany and the United Kingdom
in 1900 Were: United States 1858. 900
tons; Germany. 1S.055.000. and United
Kingdom, 5S,405,00 Thus, while the
growth of the coal exports from the
United States shows 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 Uni.
ted States now supplies.
In the growth of both exports and
production, however, the United States
had made much more rapid advance
than any other country. The total
quantity of coal produced in the Uni
ted Kingdom was, in 1886 157. 51S 900
tons; in 1900, 225.1Sl .000 while in the
United States the production was. In
1886. 100.51S,000 tons. and in 1900
245, 900. Thus the United Kingdom
since 1886 has increased her produc-
ton but about so per cent, while the
United States has increased hers near
ly $50 per cent
The cost of coal has meantime in
creased much more rapidly in the Uni
ted Kingdom than in the United
States. The value of the Io7 900. 900
tons of coal mined in the United King
dom in 1886 is put by the statement of
tho Prifich ol, e.,
to at ;e3S 100000, and of the 225 .000,-
Gl21 100000. Thus while the quantity
mined in the United Kingdom has in
creased but SO per cent from 1886 to
1900, the value has meantime increas-
ed over 20 per cent. On the other
hand, the value of the 100000 900 tons
of coal mined In the United States in
1886 was according to the same au.
tbnritv. f32000.000. and that of the
245, 100000 tons mined in 1900 G67,-
100000. Thus in the United States,
while the quantity increased about u
per cent, the value of the coal mined
increased but little over 100 per cent.
The relative increase in the cost of
coal in the United Kingdom and the
United States is shown in an even
more striking form in the statement
of the British government above refer
red to by figures, which give the price
per ton of coal in the United Kingdom
and United States in 1883 and 1900,
respectively. 1t shows that the price
in the United Kingdom advanced from
5 ahillings per ton to los sd. from 1883
TO 1900, while in the United States ii
fell from Gs to IS 51ad per ton in the
same time.