WARTIME COAL TRADE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 93, 17 October 1939, Page 8

WARTIME COAL TRADE

GERMAN MARKET LOST

SPAIN AS CUSTOMER OF

BRITAIN

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received October 17, 10 a.m.)

RUGBY, October 16.

Discussing the wartime prospects of the British coal export trade, the "Financial News" examines the effect of the elimination of German ships from the high seas and notes that only the Baltic is now open to German shipping, while Germany's internal requirements and rail transport difficulties"' must seriously hamper her overland coal export trade.

Britain's wartime coal production, it states, is expected to be*ample for.the requirements of the active export trade. Germany's coal, exports, which had rapidly risen in tlie past seven years, reached their peak figure of 38,629,000 metric tons in 1937, but fell in 1938 to 29,040,000 tons. The principal increases in this period were achieved in France and Italy,-but of growing importance to Germany before the war were the markets of Canada and the South American countries. Steadilyincreased coal export trade had also been achieved by Poland and again France and Italy were important customers—countries to which the export of British coal had in recent years decreased.

Another promising prospective market for . British coal under wartime conditions is Spain, which has now reached a point in industrial recovery when she will require foreign coal. The British coal trade with Scandinavian countries has also been developing in recent years as a result of trade agreements.

The "Financial News," after examining .trade figures and other factors, says they emphasise that these northern European countries have a very strong interest in resuming the fullest possible trading with Britain at the earliest opportunity.