The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-10-30
IMPORTS
OF COAL
Figures from Department of
Commerce and Labor.
EXPORTS MUCH LARGER
Amount Brought Into This Country In.
significant in Comparison With hat
Produced Here--Table Giving
Production for Fifty Years.

The importatlons OF coal into the United
states during the first nine months OF the
present calendar year have amounted TO
2ea7 .U3l tons against l,5iBl12 tons In the
corresponding months OF the preceding
year, an increase Of 1,l4O,9@ tons me
rebate OF duty on coal authorized by Con-
Eress In January, 1913. went into opera
tIon January IA, SO that the hGurca Tor
tho nine months of 1903 represent the lin-
nortation OF coal free of duty during prac-
t.cally all OF that period conraied win
the corresponding period of the preccd-
ing wear, In which the importatiors or
bitumnous coal were dutiable.
The figures hers quoted as presented
by the Department of Commerce and
Labor through It's Bureau OF Statistics,
Include both biturninous and anthracite
coal. but ds the total imports OF anthsh-
cite in the nine months " 1873 amounted
20 but 1925 tons, the chief increase Is
In bituminous This increase of l,lO,UO
tons Ia chiefly in coal from the Uni.cd
Kingdom, from which the Imports or
bitum.nous coal during the nine months
end ng with september, 1903, amounted TO
1.lb.tol tons against i3,A3 IN Inc cor
responding nine months Of 1892. F.oni
Canada, which the Bureau OF Statistics
designatcs as "British North America"
the total imports of btuminous coal for
the nine months ending with september.
1903, were l,25.29i tons aga INST l,l9,,5~a
tons In the cor, esponding months OF the
preceding, year, an Increase Of but 29,42a
tons from Canada.
FROM OTHER SOURCES.
From other countries the imports arc
of course extremely small. the larges.
item aside from tho United Kingdom
and Canada being Japan. from winch
GO,.s. tons we're Imported in the nine
months Of 1903 against SIG In the co:-
responding months Of 19E, and "otner
Asia and Oceania" So3616 against 1898
in the corresponding months OF 1902. Thus,
nearly all OF the Increase in the lmpor.n-
tons OF coal In the present year unuer
the removal Of rebate Of duty authorized
in January has been from the Uni.ed
Kingdom, lie the total Increase. 40
already indicated, amounted to l440.so9
tons
Meanwhile the exportauon OF coal has
increased more tn In the Importation.
The total coal exported from the United
States In the nine months ending With
September. 1893. amounted to G,31il&
tons against 4.72o.330 tons In tho cores
ponding months of last year, an increase
OF 1,593.S $50 tons.
The EXPORTS.
The foreign commerce of the United
States In coal, whether Of imports or ex-
ports, ig extremely small compared with
the domestic production. in which the
United States now exceeds any other
country of the world. Importauon Of
coal have never reached as much as two
million tons In e s ngle year prior to the
fiscal year .-p5 when they were 3.6lo.225
tons, or q little more than one per cent
OF the domestic production, while the
highest figure ever reached In exports
was in 1901. when 1t amounted to 7.676,549
tons. The relative importance OF the inn
ports or exports to the coal production
from the mines OF the United States Is
shown by the figures of coal production
es reported from year to year by the
Geological Survey. which shows that the
total coal production In the last year
was $50 million long tons, the quantity
being about the same as 1901 In which
year the figures were quoted as 2GI,s73,615
tons. The growth in coal production in
the United States is shown by the follow
ing table. which shows the number Of
tons OF coal produced in the United States
at decennial years from 1850 to 1900. and
In 1901 and 1902:
eo.IE FIGURES.
Coal produced In the United States Mt
decennlal years from 1850 to 1900. and in
1901 and 1902.
Calendar year Tons.
$780,. 3,3as,S 9
lsOo......... o,ol Z, 30
1SI0.. 2.SC3, W