The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-06-22
ENGLAND,s COAL SUPPLY.


 Of our Foreign Trade in Coal" Mir. D. 4. Thomas discussed a subject which for him has. in more than one respect, a special interest. On its preparation, and on the tabulation of the requisite data, he has evidently spared no pains, but we have only space to notice a few points in a paper which may almost claim to be a work Of reference. The export of coal from these islands has enormously increased within the last half-century. In 1850, of the tifty-six million aons raised, thirty-eight hun dred thousand tons, or less than seven per cent, were exported. In 1900, the quantity raised exceeded two hundred and twenty-five million tons, and near ly thirty per cent. of ths huge quantity was exported. If we examine the re- turns decade by decade, we find that, notwithstanding occasional fluctua- tions, the relative importance of our foreign trade in oal has increased very largely. even if not quite uniformly, whether the quantity exported be com pared with the total production, or it's value with that of the total exports. of these islands. Before 1850 heavy duties on coal both at export and on it's im- port to foreign countries operated against the growth of the business. But gfrom 1850, when the last Of the export duties was removed. to the end of the century, the increase, as proved by trustworthy returns, was rapid. Coal is now. as MT. Thomas shows by his tables, the most Important factor in our export trade. It holds this position not only because 1t is required for con sumption, but also because its weight makes # very convenient outward freight, Taking only the first and last decades of the half century, we find that our total exports in the former pe- riod were worth eSS,90O,000, to which coal, coke and patent fuel contributed only e1,SO0,000, and in the latter they amounted to e249, 100000 to which the coal and other :uel contributed G22,- 300,000; the one being rather less than tripled, the other more than multiplied by twelve. Not only so. but a study of the growth of exports other than coal, shows that during the last ten years a very serious check was experienced in the expansion oe foreign demand for British produce, both in quantity and in value: But while our own exports have shown tendency to become sta tionary, those Of our commercial rivals abroad have been advancing more rap idly than ever before. The former reached the maximum in the quinquen- nial period between 1886 and 1890. If we represent this by one hundred, the figure for the same period ending 1875 was eighty-one, but for that ending in 1900 only one hundred and one. France shows, on the whole, slight in- crease, from one hundred and five to one hundred and nine: Italy more rapid one, from one hundred and eleven to one hundred and twenty-eight while Belgium has lea2ed up from seventy nine to ond hundred and thirty three. Germany and the United States have also increased rapidly. though the com parison must begin five years later, the former having mounted from one hun dred and two to one hundred and forty two, and the latter at @ remarkable rate-from eighty-one to one hundred, and fifty-three. That during the same period our own country has greatly in creased in prosperity is indisputable, but the distinct decline in the excess of births over deaths during the last twen- ty years may possibly be also signifi- cant of some change of national impor- tance. But coal, as we have said, is rendered an !m9ortant factor in our foreign trade as cargo for our outward bound ships, for it constitutes in this respect more than four-flfths of our eX- ports. Were it not for coal, the great bulk of the shipping bringing corn, cot ton, wool and other indispensable inn ports would be compelled to 'clear without cargo, and in ballast" fact which speaks for itself. But 1t must also be remembered that the consump- ton of coal is the consumption of our national capital. We may take com- fort, indeed, with MT. Thomas statis- tical demonstration that a much small CT quantity of coal than is generally supposed goes to supply foreign na- tions, our own ships using the greater part of that which leaves this country. Still, the coal is being gradually ex- hausted, and throug it's expenditure has been, and probably will be further, re- duced by various economies. we must face the fact that the supply in these islands is very far from unlimited. MT. Thomas is no optimist. and evidently is not sanguine that human ingenuity will discover, at any rate in these islands, a new source os power. and scouts the idea of looking to our colonies for a supply when our own runs out, since distance, if nothing else, will be suffi- cient obstacle. He emphasizes the warning, given less than forty years ago, by the late Professor Jevons, that the diminution in our coal supply may begin to produce a sensible effect on our prosperity in little more than an- other half-century, and. while he real izes to the full what that will mean, he has no emedy to uggest-London Standard.