Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1906-12-29
WORLDS COAL SUPPLIES.

The Northern Pacific Railroad Com
pany, owning coal mines galore, and
presumably with plenty of transporta-
ton facilities for handling the pro-
duct, says the Oregonian, is buying
coal in Pennsylvania and shipping it
as far west as Montana to supply en-
gines on the Rocky Mountain
division. Three steamships are re-
ported lying idle at Seattle for want
of coal with which to get away from
port. From all over Washington and
Oregon come reports of universal scar
city of fuel and at numerous points
through the middle west there has
been great suffering because the peo-
pie are unable to secure enough coal
for ordinary heating purposes. In
view of such a remarkable situation it
Is somewhat surprising to learn from
official sources that the United States
last year led all other countries on
earth in coal production, the output
exceeding that of Great Britain by
more than so per cent and being more
than double that of Germany, which
ranks next to the United Kingdom as
a coal producer.
The British Board of Trade has just
published some elaborate statistics
which place the world production for
1905, exclusive of brown coal, or lig-
mite, at $40, 000, coo tons. Of this
amount $50, 900, 900 tons is credited to
the United States, 236, 900, 900 tons to
Great Britain and l19, 900, 600 tons to
Germany. The same authority places
the consumption of the United States
for 1905 at 343, 900, 600 tons. while that
of the United Kingdom is but 1863,
900, 900 tons. These figures to a con-
siderable extent explain much of the
present coal shortage in the United
States. They show that our consump-
tlon last year ran up to within 1000,
600 tons of the production, and as there
is a greater coal consumption in this
country than ever before this surplus
at the beginning of the year was infn-
itesimal compared with the demands
that have been made upon it.
Not only has there been widespread
increase in the demand for coal by our
factories, railroads and lake shipping
but there has also been a correspond
ing increase in the demand at seaboard
cities. where thousands of foreign
steamships receive their fuel supplies
for long voyages. Many of the big
German and British liners running out
of the Atlantic ports take in at these
ports bunker supplies sufficient for the
round trip. This, of course, is figured
as home consumption, and uses up our
surplus supply at an astonishing rate.
According to the British Board of
Trade, the average cost of the Amer
per ton, while at the United Kingdom
collieries the cost was 6s l14d per ton.
Despite these figures, it is quite ap-
parent that the British must have en-
Joyed big export trade with other
countries, for the consumption credited
by the Board of Trade was $4,000, 900
tons less than the production, and
there is no weakness in prices in Eu-
rope indicating excessive stocks, which
would be the case if the surplus had
not all been moved.
These figures make it quite clear
that if the present unparalleled pros
perity continues throughout the com
ing year it will be very difficult to
make the supply meet the demand.
Higher prices must necessarily follow,
and with higher prices will come an
increased production and the inevitable
readjustment of both prices and sup
ply.