The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-09-23
America Could Well Afford to
Export Even Great Ton
mage Asserts Official
"WORLD-WlDE SHORTAGE OF
$4,000, 1000 TOMS" He SAYS
All Europe Demanding Coal;
We are Not Injuring Home
Consumers BY Supplying 1t,
Declares Witness

declares WITNESS
Washington (SreciaD. - American
coal producers, seeking to relieve
worldwide shortage. are not Sendl.G
coal abroad in sufficient volume to de-
prive the American consumer, in the
opinion of H. y. saint, head OF the
Shipping Boards export department, il
witness before the Senate Sub-cOmmit-
tee conducting an inquiry into the coal
situation, headed by Senator FeilnE-
huySen of New Jersey.
Mr. Saint submitted to the commit
tee the Shipping Boards official est
mate of the extent of the Worldwide
coal shortage tOtaling 81, 100000 tons,
most of which, if made w. he said,
presumably must be made up by the
United States" Exclusive of ship
ments to Canada, the United States is
exporting coal, he said, at the rate of
about 100000 tons a year. This is Il
little more than one per cent or the
total amount of bituminouS coal pro-
duced in the country for a year.
According to Mr.. Saints figures Can
ada will need about 16,S52,0O0 tons !;
France, 17,OO0,0O0 tons; Belgium, r.
100000 tons, which may be reduced
later as Belgium is rapidly restoring
her mines; the Netherlands, S,000OO
tons; China, 3,135,000 tons; Italy, D.
100000 tons; Sweden, Norway and
other countries, many millions more.
TO help supply the needs of these and
other countries, Mr.. Saint stated, the
Shipping Board had allOcated to the
coal trade 194 American ships of $780,
GS4 lightweight tons as follows:
In the Swedish trade, S5,111 tons; to
Switzerland and the Netherlands, Do
G33 TONS; to Denmark, 1000 tons
Italy, 1O5,50 tons; France, 13S,3SO
tons: South America, POI ,1l2 tons
There was included in these figures,
he said, 1861 tons in the coaStWiSe
or New England trade, which would
have to be deducted from the total ton.
mage, leaving approximately S2S,oGO
tons engaged in the overseas tranSpor-
tatiOn of coal.
These figures represented only Ship
ping Board vessels, he sud, or about
thirty per cent of the total.
"The export coal trade so far this
wear" Mr.. Saint said, "is running Il
little behind the export trade of last
year. owing to the dropping down OF
the Canadian trade. But the foreign
trade has increased over last year. BY
the time this year is up we will have
exported, | think, about 100000 tons. y
so great was the dearth of coal
abroad, Mr.. Saint asserted, that de-
mand had come from practically every
European country, including the Brit
ish Isles. heretofore the chief coal rX'
porting nation Of the world. Eng
lands inability to produce coal in pre-
war quantities, he thought, was prl'
marly responsible for the increased
demand on the bituminOuS coal pro
ducerS of the United States.
Her export have dropped from ~,
"to 23.OOO.OO0 tons. 1t was the under
standing that Enalaud was to take
care of the Italian situation. | believe
that conclusion was reached in Paris
during the economic conference there
But England has radically failed Il
take care of the Italian situation ltal
ian imports of coal before the wal
were l00O0,00O tons annually. Las
year England sent Italy E0OO,WO tom
and this year, up to date, she is doing
very little better. This leaves from
100000 to 5,OOO.OO0 tons to be sup
piled Italy by other nations ana we are
! practically the only nation that cal
supply her that coul,'
Are We relieving England at on
expense" Senator EreIinghuyscI
asked
IF you mean expense in tie sense .
taking coal that should 90 to our owl
people, replied Mr. Saint, Il do no
believe that sufficient coal is goin'
abroad to particularly njUre our do
nestle situation. If YOU look at on
foreign shipments as development o
a legitimate foreign trade, which vii
mean a very great deal to this country
in future years, l think we can wei
send what are are sending now, anc
considerably more, abroad at tLi'
time"
Mr.. Saint said Eve are trying to dis
tribute our tonnage equitably among
the countries that need COAL