Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-07
FRANCE IS IN NEED
Of AMERICAN COAL
U. S. Lack Of Ships Makes It
impossible to Supply Large
Quantity, However.
SPAIN IS ALSO DISPOSED
TO BUY THAT FUEL HERE
This Country Has Greater Output
Than England, But Has Not Been
Able to Control Trade.
BY HERBERT COREY.

BY HERBERT COREY.
Copyright. 1879
PARIS, August a.-The way to begin
this story about Frances war supply
OF coal is to tell one about ships.
Roughly speaking. there are no ships
Germanys supply is locked up. All the
others are hard at work. The United
States has none, practically. There are
three or four American concerns of the
first order trying to do business with
France They can do the business. all
right, IL they can deliver the goods.
The head man of one of these concerns
came to an American diplomatic OFF,
eial the other day.
IT want to buy a ship" said he. I'll
nav $50 ton for it, and after I've de-
livered my goods Til give it away"
At that rate a 6,oo0-ton freighter
would be worth 100000. Paint, brass
work and boilers did not interest the
buyer. All he asked was that his pur-
chase should be able to make three
round trips Then to the Bay Of Bis
i've sold 100000 railroad ties to the
French government" said he. Iheres
a fortune in 1t for me If L can denver
He couldn't get the ship. but the
story leads naturally into another one
Before the ship shortage became so
sold a huge bill of goods to the
French government. The goods are
made in Germany. are an essential for
hospital use in the war, and he got a
and then for the first time he sat down
to count up his profits For three days
after that operation he sat in the lobby
of the Grand Hotel wagging his head.
Il never thought I'd have SO much
money" he kept repeating to himself.
I'm rich. I never thought I'd have so
much money.
Riches for Americans.
That will be the fix the United States
will be in il it can deliver the goods.
We can sit around and wag our heads
and repeat that pleasing monologue If
we want to. Take the item of coal
alone. We can sell to France all the
coal we can deliver. That is by no
means a rash statement, because. hav-
ing no ships of our own, we can't de-
liver much coal. We can sell and, it Is
thought, we can deliver from 100000
to 100000 tons in France alone in the
next twelve months. What is more, We
can sell, If We can deliver. 100000 tons
we can get into this market we can
hold a good part Of it.
We can make good profit on coal
now" said Dr.. c. W: A. Veditz. com
embassy here 1T we once get in, we
can continue to sell at a good profit
after Europe becomes normal again.
We can certainly hold a good part of
the French and Spanish coal market"
The profit on Goa; today may be ng-
ured from the fact that coal may be
bought I. o. b. in any coal port in the
United States at approximately $2s5
per ton. Say Is francs. To that must
times. as against 80 francs in normal
times. The ton of coal that costs rs
francs when 1t reaches a French port
Is selling today in Paris for 102 to 116
francs. AS an indication of the utter
dislocation OF conditions caused by war
the ordinary purchaser must hire some
one to carry his coal home after he
buys 1t. II he is able to buy it he
thinks he is lucky. The coal situation
offers an interesting sidelight on what
war really is.
France Must Have Coal.
France normally uses 100000 tons
OF coal. of which she produces 10000, 600
tons A large part Of her coal land is
heid by the Germans, but her con-
sumption has not been lessened, thanks
to the ruthless demands of war The
100000 tons she did not produce has
been furnished in other years as fol-
lows: England, 10000. 00o-12 900, 900 tons,
Germany 100000, Belgium 1000. 900
Germany and Belgium have ceased to
supply. of course. For a time England
increased her supply to France from
her normal of 100000 tons a month to
maximum of 100000. But it strained
her to do so. She needs more coal her
self, because of the war. Because of
the war it is increasingly hard to get it.
Between 100000 and 225.080 miners
have enlisted in England" an author
ity said recently. That is one -fourth
of all her miners. About $4,000 I'M
skilled men have gone into the mines
to take their places"
Obviously decreased production is met
by increased consumption In Nav an
order in council was issued prohibiting
the expectation of coal except to Eng
lish dependencies and allied countries.
Then the coal strike came along.
Whether il be true or not that the
strike is not being ironed out by Lloyd
George as successfully had been
hoped. 1t became evident this week that
further decrease in consumption had
become vital. So that an order in
the London papers:
Prohibits the expectation of coal ex-
cept to English dependencies"
IL that is to be taken literally, or
France is confronted by a most seri-
Gus condition. Thanks to Lloyd
Georges recent speeches, the world
knows that successful war making rests
upon a foundation of coal. France is
facing this with that magnificent cour-
age with which she has confronted her
other problems. One hears no self
praise or self-pity IN France today.
The nation has simply buckled down to
its Job. DR.. veditz. as the official rep
resentative of American commercial in
tereste. called on NJ Marcel Sembat,
the minister Of public works.
THE United States can furnish
France with all the coal she wants."
said he in effect, of any quality or
contents she wants
NJ Sembat called his attention to a
vital factor in the situation.
Offers a Way Out.
We are forced to buy so much of
the United States said he, land we
are now selling SO little that the rate
Of exchange is going up continually
IT makes our coal cost US even more
than 1t seems to cost. II we could sell
you something-'
Perfectly easy. In other years the