The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-01-22
OF
BUNKER GOAL


the establishment of a great Ameri
can station for supplying coal from
. the mines of the United States TO yes
/. sells of the world lends interest to an
|. estimate prepared. by the bureau of
slatistics, Department of Commerce
and Labor, of the coal consumption on
9 the oceans of the world. The state
s ment estimates the coal consumed on
/ the oceans of the world at approxi-
mately rs million tons per annum,
valued at over 25O million dollars.
An exact statement of the quantity
1 of coal CO. umed by the merchant ma
s rine and ravies of the world cannot
be made, owing to the fact that COM
paratively few countries state in sep
arate terms the quantity of coal sup
s piled to vessels for their own use, or
! for "bunkering" purposes. The Unit
!. ed States statistics show about 8 mil
lion long tons supplied to vessls at
ocean ports to be placed in their bun
{ kers for their own use, and the Brit
ish reports show about 20 million long
tons supplied to vessels in the foreign
trade and 21s million tons to vessels
) in the coastwise trade, This would
make for the two great coal produc-
ing countries of the world-the United
States and the United Kingdom--a
s total of over 80 million tons supplied
directly to vessels for 'bunkering" pur-
poses. In addition to this, however, a
very considerable percentage of the
coal sent out to Great Britain as lex
ports" passes to ports and stations in
various parts of the world from which
it is finally supplied to ocean vessels
T for fuel purposes. A paper presented
/ before the Royal Statistical Society of
Ensland by D. A. Thomas, NJ. p, stat
ssA-aesr that:
"Theg reat bulk of our exports of
+ coal is for the use of steamships, and
. it is within the mark to say that over
z half of our exports are for navigation
purposes. Cardiff alone ships over a
million tons annually to Port Said,
over half million to Malta and
Gibraltar, about the same quantity to
! Cape Verde and the Canaries, over
! 100000 to Colombo, and large quanti-
ties to Alden, practically the whole of
which goes to bunker steam vessels
calling to coal at those depots."
AS the British exports of coal, aside
from that recorded as supplies to yes
sells for fueling purposes amounted in
1910 to over 62 million long tons, the
above quoted estimate would seem to
Justify adding to the 80 million tons
recorded as bunker coal by the United
Kingdom and the United States an
other 80 million as the share of Brit
ish exports which finally becomes bun
ker coal through purchase for bunker
ing purposes at ports or stations to
which it was originally exported. While
the bureau of statistics is unable to
state the share of American coal ex-
ports which become vessel supplies
aside from that actually reported as
bunker coal and not included in the
export statement) it is quite probable
that considerable percentage of the
coal from the United States which
passes to the West Indian Islands and
the coast Of Mexico is used for vessel
fueling. Add to this the more than 2
.x~villion tons supplied by the Japanese
mines to vessels engaged in the for
eign trade, the more than ! million
tons supplied from Australia, the near
Iy / million tons supplied from India,
plus the estimated consumption OF
about million tons by the navies of
the world, and the bureau of statistics
estimate of an average of 70 million
tons consumed on the oceans of the
world seems a conservative one. AS
the valuation of the coal exported for
steaming purposes averages about
$3.50 per ton, the further estimate OF
the value of the coal used on the
oceans of the world-over $50 million
dollars per annum-seems also con
servative one.
The United Stetes is by far the larg-
est coal producer of the world, its pro
duction in 1910 being 4411a million
metric TONS against 26414 million by
the United Kingdom, 222 million by
Germany, SO million each by France
and Austria-Hungary 2412 million by
Russia, 23 million by Belgium, 10 mil
lion by Japan, 141a million by China
IS million by Canada, and IL million
each by Australia and India, the grand
total of production in 1910 for all coun
hfes for which statistics are available
being little over / billion tons, Of
which about 40 per cent is produced
BY the United States, about 2S pei
md