The Republican journal., 1911-12-28
Our Coal Expectations.

Coal exports from the United States
have trebled in value in the last dozen
years. The value of coal passing out of
continental United States in the year
1911 is, in round terms, so million dollars,
compared with IS million in the immed-
lately preceding year. The stated value
of coal exported in the 10 months ending
with October, 1911, is A million dollars,
that of coke. million, and that of coal
supplied to vessels engaged in the foreign
trade, Is million, making a total of Is
million dollars and justifying the Bureau
of Statistics of the Department of Com
merce and Labor in its statement that
the aggregate value of coal passing out
of the United States in the full calendar
year will approximate 80 million dollars.
The United States ranks third among
the coal-exporting countries of the world,
being exceeded in this respect by tie
United Kingdom and Germany. In 1910,
the latest year for which comparisons
can be made, the coal exports of the
United Kingdom were valued at 179 mil
lion dollars, those of Germany at 1O4
million, those of the United States, eX-
elusive of bunker coal, As million, and
those of France, about million dollars.
The exports of the United States have
grown far more rapidly, however, than
those of any of the countries named.
Comparing the figures Of 1910 with
those of 1900, exports of coal and coke
exclusive of bunker coaD from the
United States have increased from % to
As million dollars, or practically 100 per
cent; those of Germany increased from
IS to 104 million dollars, or 60 per cent;
while those from the United Kingdom
decreased from 1873 to 179 million dollars.
Those of France show little change dur
ing the decade, coal exports from that
country having increased from IA to
1-3 million in the period. from 1900 to
1910.
Canada is the principal destination of
the coal exported from the United
States, being credited with SIS, 126, 207
out of a total of SIS. 1876, 956 worth of an
thracite, and $2I, $40, 604 out of total of
s28, 1872, 1888 worth of bituminous coal ex-
ported in the 10 months ending with Oc-
tober of the present year. Of the other
markets for bituminous coal from the
United States the principal countries are
Cuba, Mexico and Panama, each taking
S., 900, 900 and 81, 900, 900 worth annually.
Canada is also the largest market for
cur exported coke, having received last
year about three fourths of the entire
exports, while practically all the re-
mainder went to Mexico.
| Coal now ranks seventh among the
| leading articles of expectation in the
foreign commerce of the country. So
far as ascertainable from the 10 months
figures now available in the Bureau of
Statistics, the principal articles or
groups of articles exported from the
United States in the calendar year 1911
rank about as follows: cotton, about
500 million dollars; iron and steel,
about $50 million dollars; meat and
dairy products, 165 million; copper,
about 95 million; wood manufactures,
about 80 million, wheat and flour, about
80 million, and coal, including coke, IS
million dollars. Coal in the value of its
exports exceeds such important articles
as cotton manufactures, tobacco, leath-
err, agricultural implements, corn and
cotton seed oil; while if we add to the
exports of coal to foreign countries the
value of that sold for use on vessels en-
gagged in the foreign trade the total, sc
million dollars, would closely approach
that of wheat and flour, wood manufac-
lures, or copper.
Coal exports still bear small relation
to the domestic production of that staple.
Of the total production Of anthracite and
bituminous coal in the United States las'
year, aggregating $50 million long tons
about 20 million tons left the country, Il
million tons being consigned to foreign
countries and about 6 million being fol
use on vessels engaged in the foreign
trade. Of anthracite the production
last wear was rs million tons, the exports
8 million; and of bituminous coal the
production last year was 372 million
tons and the exports, including the si1
million tons of bunker coal, about II
million tons.