THE GERMAN COAL TRADE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 79, 3 April 1911, Page 4

THE GERMAN COAL TRADE.

Out. German correspondent lus jo|t drawn attention tp a rather peculiar state of tilings that exists just now in the German coal trade. Germany baa, of coarse,, large coal fields of its own, and exports coil freely; but, at the same time, it aleo imports a considerable quantity from abroad. The' soft coal imported into Germany comes' from Austria, because .the Austrian brown coal is "particularly ■fell adapted for making up into "briquettes," and; the manufacture of this form of fuel ie of considerable importance in several ot to* great industrial centien. Qft the other hand, a large amount of hard coal, chiefly anthracite, ie imported, irqm England; and thu in certainly rranarkable, in view of the fact that the German coal fields are quite c«>*fcle of supplying their own country's needs in tills particular. The reason is that Britub coal Joe the advantage of che*p water carriage, not only iwrosa the North 6ea, but up the greet western mere "tlie yery heart of Germany, tt© German' coal is for the moetp»ct railed from the mines to the great industrial districts, *n<s the railway. freighte cannot compete with the Iqw acale of charges by sea and rirer.' The import of British coal amounts to about f5,QP0,000 eterting a* year, f the' German coal miflinjr coippanics naturalresent this trespass upon their' own domains. But the Gerrpane have never seen much to admire in the beauties of unrestricted competition; and they are, therefore, agitating vigorously for a duction <5| the Tail-way tariff ou ao as to enable the local mine-owners to hold their ground against their Birittati rivals. Np doubt they will secute. object, and so another outlet for British products will be lost. For the German railways baye always been run on the principle that putlio services should be made' to promote the growth of local industries. In England, on the other hand, the railway tariffs are arranged without the tegard tp local ipjuitements; in fact, the freight charges are constantly raised against the local producer, louto enable the railway companies to cut down the rates on foreign goods, and secure a larger proportion of foreign trade. Unfortunately, EngUnd does not regard the encouragemeni; o.f internal trade as one of the most intportant functions pf the State, and until a radical change is made in British- fiscal policy in this direction we may expect to see British products go on lojjing ground, as they have been losing ground in so many cases for a long tune past, in the Home markets as well as in the protected markets of our competitors abroad.