Waterbury Democrat., 1902-12-05
NE of the most characteris.

E5S<TMsA dustrial development has N# been the rise of the coal in, VlSw dustry. Modern society
 relies upon coal as the fuel end source of power, and the terms '.iron age,'' machine age," and "age iof stea1n'' may all be translated the ''age of coal"
 The. rapidity with which the produc- tion Of coal has increased may be ap- preciated when we consider the prea- ent volume of that production and re- fleet in how recent time the produc- tion formed but a very small fraction of that quantity. In 1901 the total coal production of the world was 666,- 965,o90 short tons or 7S5, ,780, ,000 metric tons. Until as late a period as 1884 the worlds production had never been half so great, being only 450,99o,00a short tons in that year, and not until 1872 had the worlds production been as much as 8 third as large as it is at present. By 1864 the worlds production was only 174,00o,000 metric tons, or less than 23 per cent. of the production of 1896. The statistics of the worlds produc-
 
 not be determined with any pretense of accuracy; but on the basis of the British statistics from 1854, of esti- mates for earlier periods, and from such statistics as are obtaina ble from France, Germany, Belgium, and Aus tria-Hungary, an approximation may be made to the actual production. In 1S60 the worlds production of coal was about 142,0o0,o ,oo0 long or 144,o00,- 900 metric tons, or less than one-fifth of the production of 1901, and consid- erably less than the production Of either the United States or the United Kingdom at present. Ten years earlier the worlds production amounted to only about 83, 100000 metric tons, about one-tenth of the present worlds pro- duction and considerably less than the present output of the single state of Pennsylvania. Tn 1s4O the production was much smaller still, amounting to about one-sevenfeenth of the present output, while during the three-quarters of Q century since 1920, when the out put was but 17,000,ooo, the production has increased but about 4,5oo per cent.
 The production of coal is chiefly In the hands of three nations, the British, the Americans and the Ger mans. During the last 30 years, and even earlier, the combined coal out put of these three countries, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany, has averaged year for year about five-sixths of the coal output of the world Possess Ing but tenth of the popula- tion of the world, they have pro duced about S3 per cent of the min Hral fuel while the remaining 90 per cent. of the worlds inhabitants have produced only about r per cent. of the coal, and even if the savage and semibarbarous nations be dis regarded, the immense preponder- ance of coal production in these countries must be conceded To this group might be added Belgium. which produces and consumes more coal per capita than any other European country except the United Kingdom, but for the fact of it's small popula- tion placing it in the second rank of coal-producing countries
 While the continued output of these three countries has kept pace with the production of the rest Of the world, their T lative position has been materially altered Tn 1868 the United Kingdom produced over three times as much as either the United States or Germany. the output of these countries being approximately 52, 14H and 16Hs per cent. of the worlds production, respectively. In 1870 the proportion was about tile same, although the United States had gained upon Germany as a coal pro ducer. By 1875 the output of the United Kingdom was still consider ably greater than the combined pro-- duction of the United States and Germany, the output of these three countries forming 45, 20 and IS per rent of the worlds production, re- spectiveIy. The next halt-decenniai period witnessed remarkable in- crease in the American production and q corresponding relative decrease in that of Great Britain, the propor- tion of these countries being 36, 2s and IT per cent, respectively. This increase was maintained during the last decade of the past century, and fn 1896 the output of Great Britain and Ireland was only s4 per cent., that of the United States already as