The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-04-04
SOUTHERN PROGRESS
COMMENT OF THE MANUFAC-
 TURERS' RECORD.
bituminous Coal Trade Growing at . Tremendous Rate-Increase in Number of Looms
 and Spindles.

baltimore, April 3-tSpeciaD--A most maIkahie fact in the history of the thnerlcan thn coal trade Is that in spite of ule snort supply of hard coal during the year past the aggregate tonnage of the sraoe was the greatest which has ever .n ueen recorded, and that it is far beyond ',r a. o, any other country. Commenting upon this phenomenon. F. F.. Saward, the toaf tf authority of New York; says in Record: 0 -'~
 The meaning of all this is that our 'bi- luminous trade is growing at d tremend- GUS pace. We have districts in d single osate which are doing as much as some u, t, .he smaller States. We have opera tn tloms which run up into the millions of tons per annum. There are concerns en- saged Tn the soft coal trade whose ton nase Tar and away exceeds that of any sihsle anthracite company. even in the palmy days of that trade. The astonish- ing fact is shown that the United States output is beyond that of Great Britain; mat Pennsylvania will do as much as all tne pituminous coals mines of Germany, wniie West Virginia does as much as Belgium, and Illinois as much as France. II IS marvellous to the greatest degree. ana even to one who has been connected Witn the trade for any length of time sne returns for the year 1902 must come as surprise, for we are all so busy looking after our own particular business that 1t is only when the trade statistics m their entirety are rounded up that one can grasp the situation as 1t really is. Soft coal output in this country has doubled in ten years so that the tonnage or that variety of fuel alone for last year amounted to the enormous total of 254- 0oo,ooo tons. It Is because we have other States and Territories producing coal than the one or two which may be fami- lar to the average reader. that this total is possible
 Referring in particular to certain South ern States, MT. Saward says:
 Mhryland Is of inc papIIliJr ia teG 1T one may be pardoned the expression, Tn the annals of the coal trade. No very great Increase in the tonnage Is shown from year to year of late, but there is an evenness to it which Is remarkable be- cause of the fact that other districts pro- ducing good grade of steam coal have been developed at d very rapid pace and yet the old State keeps at about the same level. Last years output was 4.s76o6s tons ana hefe, as in so many other districts or States. the trade is concentrated in a few few ha9ds This State is also peculiar in the relations of the operators with the employees. very littlc interruption having ever taken place because of strikes.
 West Virginia stands third in the amount or It's coal output and it is giv- ing Illinois d chase for second place. For It's volume of trade it is peculiar, from the fact that three lines of railroad do by Tar the greatest proportion of the tonnage sent out. And in this State also there Is what Is called concentration to a most de- termined degree.
 Kentucky shows a total of 6.4o1 266 tons for last year, which is d great advance in the way of output, as compared with even few years back. for in 1897 1t did only .000 tons. The enterprising op- orators in the western part of the State are to be credited with this increase in the business. for they arc pnshing their tonnages up into the Northwest. 1t may he noted fin passing that there is the greatest development likely to come about in the coal along the streams tributary to the Big Sandy. This means much for the railroad lines now there or protected into that territory.
 Tennessee has not Nc, heen scra tched over. so far as it's coal resources are con cerncd. and it is only within the past year that there has been anything like panes extending through the State to aid In it's development The time has come. however, and there is now the greatest rivalry to enter coal territory. because there is no freight so readily handled and so profitable to the carrying company. We may expect an increase in the coal output. for there is a market awaiting it from the industrial development of the South.
 Alabama is State which is making the greatest progress. and the coal output last year was 1a.327Il3 tons The peculiar fact is that the coal is so largely used at homo for the iron works. That the ton liaRe here is done hY few concerns may be seen when it is known that thirteen produced i.HW,th out of the total. leaving the remainder to fifty smaller conCerTJ and doubtless some of these will ybe anal gamatcd before long.
 In all the other Southern States there has been good progress during the past year from Virginia to Texas and even the Indian Territory is working up as a coal producer
 Other progress noted hy The Manufac- turers' Record Is the unusual degree of activity in the South during the pass three months in the erection of new cot ton mills and tho enlargement of estab- lished mills. During that period an nouncement has been made of definite plans for the addition of 2SI6S0 spindles and 6.24S looms in the Southern States. of which 2c5.6S0 spindles and A903 looms arc credited to cnlargemcnts being made by established plants. The figures by States arc as follows:
 States, Spin1lcS. Looms. Alabama =. ... ..,............ 3.50 2OO North Carolina ... ..........,1 1C0.G00 2.l6o Texas ... %. .................. 1,H0 ll0 Georgia ... ... ... ............ fGW0 l5U south Carolina 5,5S0 3.0iS MiSsiSSippi - - ......... 5000 I:}D