The suburban citizen., 1902-07-12
WORLDS COAL SUPPLY.
PRESENT CENTURY WILL SEE THE
END Of ENcLAND'S DEPOSITS.

/
nina WIN BE Able to Contribute Enor-
mously to the Fuel Fund--Great Coal
Beds of the Whole Of America-Ger-
many Wen Fortified.
In view Of the enormous consumption
of coal in the past forty years the ques-
ion as to how long the supply will
last has been much discussed. Eng
land has not been particularly alarmed
by the prediction that the end OF her
coal resources was almost within sight.
The majority of the people have adopt.
ed the view that the economists who
affirmed that two generations more
would practically see the end of her
coal beds were unnecessarily pessimis-
tic. England therefore continues with
much serenity to sell more coal to the
countries which import it than all the
rest Of the world together. 1t supplies
far more coaling stations than any
other country. 1t is the only land that
does an enormous business in the ex-
portation of coal.
The business of selling coal abroad is
usually very profitable, and one reason
why England surpasses all competitors
in this business is because she has spe-
cial facilities for It. Her coal is so near
the sea that England is able tp ship 1t
less extensively than any other export
ing nation. Owing to our more eXten.
sive use of coal mining machinery,
great deal of our coal at the pit mouth
does not cost so much as British coal
when raised TO the surface, but by the
Gime we ship cur coal on the ocean 1t
usually costs more than British coal.
Another reason why usually, when
the price Of European coal is not abnor-
mally high, we cannot compete with
British exports is because our sea car
riage to the continent of Europe, which
is by far the greatest importer, is very
much longer than that of England
Thus England has special advantages
for the export coal trade, and she i'm
proves them to the utmost, in spite of
the fact that economists are again be-
ginning to reassert that the present
century will undoubtedly see the end
of her coal resources.
The most interesting contribution
that has been made for long time to
the question OF the worlds future coal
supply is that which DR.. Ferdinand
Fischer, Of Gottingen, has just pub
lished. Dr. Fischer has collected with
much care all the best attainable data
as to the coal resources of the entire
world. Such work as this can be re-
garded only as a striving to reach con-
clusions that are worthy Of considera-
ton for the time being and as satisfac-
tory as the present condition of our
knowledge will permit. They are like
ly to be very much modified when we
have more light on the question, just
as the prognostications thirty years ago
with regard to the worlds coal re-
sources needed amending when we
came to understand how enormously
China is able to contribute to the sup
plies. But though we must continue to
regard such estimates as those made BY
DR.. Fischer as tentative, they are not
only interesting, but important as
painstaking, critical and able summar-
les Of our existing knowledge and of
the conclusions which it seems to jus.
tffy.
Briefly summing up the estimates !
which Dr.. Fischer has based upon his !
studies, he concludes that the attain. !
able coal supply Of Germany amounts |
in round numbers, to 100000 million
tens. that OF Great Britain to 81 800 |
million tons, that of Austria Hungary !
Belgium and France together TO 1900
million tons. The coal deposits Of |
Russia are still so little known that Dr. |
Fischer does not attempt to estimate
the attainable output, though he says
that the resources are undoubtedly !
enormous, particularly in the southern
regions from the Government of~Pol- |
taya eastward into the land of the Don |
Cossacks.
He estimates that the coal resources
Of the whole Of America are at least
6S4,000 million tons. All our later in.
formation with regard to China has
tended TO confirm the conclusions |
reached by Van Rchthofen as to the
enormous wealth in coal of that en-
pire. There is as yet no reason to be-
lieve that this very careful scientific
traveller overshot the mark when he es.
timated Chs figures are reproduced by |
DR.. Fischer) the coal provision Of The
eighteen provinces at 100000 million |
tons Of anthracite and an equal quaint. |
ty Of bituminous coal.
1t is curious commentary on that
really civilized land which. as far as
we know, is richer in ccal than any |
other country in TIE world that almost
none OF it is yet available for steam |
power. 1t is largely used by the Chi
nese, but mainly IN the regions where |
II is mined. The land routes are so |
miserably poor that it does not pay to |
haul coal more than twenty-five miles |
Unless 4 mine Is within this distance of |
water carriage the area Of the distlihu- |
tion OF the output is confined TO the i'm. |
mediate neighboThood. Steamships Mt |
Shanghai are to-day filling their bunk |
ers with coal brought from EuroDe, be- |
oa fq al,