Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-04-02
WORLD'SCOAL SUPPLY
TOLD OF BY HASKIN
Daily Letter by Frederic j. Haskin

WASHINGTON, April I'm spite
of all sorts Of annoying ~hindrances
and interruptions to normal life,
somehow the world gets along fairly
we'll.
As an old Chinese proverb says
the world Is full of troubles, but
most OF them never happen.
There Is no more interesting ex-
ample of how the world does get
along In spite of the most severe set
backs than the story of coal in
1929. Only about six or eight
months dire disaster seemed i'm
pending. The American coal fields
are the greatest producers in the
world and the American industries
consume more than any other in the
world. With the strikes in both
bituminous and anthracite fields in
fun swing up to last fall, 1t looked
as though very serious industrial re-
suits would spring from the shut
down, not only for the American
people but for other nations. The
world is SO interIocked with COM
t~Lunicating steamship lines now thai
commodities will Aow where there
is the most insistent demand for
them and where the highest prices
ere offered.
In olden times. a coal shortage in
the United States would have been
Of no special interest to the rest of
the world-Italy, for instance. But
now, If coal in the United States is
short, coal consumers will outbid
others for English coal, thus Great
ing shortages in countries which are
accustomed to depeud on England
for coal supplies. This is what
started to happen when the Amer
lcan miners went back to work.
In spite of these trying times the
year ends and, in retrospect, any
enc would be fully justified in say
ing that it had been q bad year for
coal. Yet, when the official figures
for 1923 l. asst up i. is found that
the worlds coal output was greater
than in 1921 when there was no
serious strike. 1t seems almost I'M
helievable when 1t as considered that
the great American mines were DOR
mant for nearly half the year, but
the figures, standing out i'll clear
black and white, show that the old
rule is true and that somehow the
world rnuddles through.
World Production Increased
Coal production in 1921 amounted
to 1.133,600, 900 tons for the world;
IN 1922 coal production for the
world amounted to 1900, 900, 900
tons-an increase of 100000 tons.
Even the American production
was. but little short. In 1891 Amer
lean coal production was ~377,316,000
tons of bituminous and in 1922 it
amounted to $4,000, 900 tons, a de-
cline of only 7,316,000 tons. Anthra-
cite production in 1921 was $1,000
900 tons and only $4,000, 900 tons in
1922. Practically all the anthracite
coal in the world comes from the
state of Pennsylvania.
To emphasize further that even
the most dire predictions OF disaster
usually are over-estimated, the fig
ures show that France helped in
making up the worlds coal shortage.
II will be remembered that the
French coal mines were in the re-
gion devastated by tho Germans in
the war. There were many news
paper reports of how the French in
dustries were Frustrated by the de-
struction of both coal and iron mines
IN the Nord and Calais districts. The
reports were true, yet such Is the
ability of mankind to overcome OBJ
stacles and rehabilitate destruction
that, in 1922, France was able to
report a larger coal production than
in 1921. In 1921 the French pro-
duction was $4,000. 00d tons; in 1879
1t was 100000 tons-a net gain
Of 100000 tons.
The greatest single increase came
from Great Britain. British coal
fields have been plagued by strikes
of miners almost as much as those
Of the United States yet, when a
year came in which il was necessary
for some n to get the coal above
ground to keep the wheels of indus
try moving and warm the homes of
the people, the British miners pro-
duced. In 1921 the British coal
output was nearly 1865, 900. 900 tons
and In 1929 it had risen to nearly
256, 000, 600 tons, an increase of APP
~proximately 1000. 900 tons. This
great increase was caused directly
by the American strike, for when the
United States stops exporting coal.
the British always reach out and
grasp the customers. making prompt
deliveries and bringing back money
to British mine owners which Or
dinarily would come TO the United
States. In not a few cases, Amer
lean industries and public utilities
last summer and fall imported coal
from Great Britain. although they
we're located but a comparatively
few miles from the richest coal fields