THE WORLD'S COAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15396, 7 March 1912, Page 6

THE WORLD'S COAL.

At a time when Uie coal mining industry in tiiciit Britain is the suhjcct of general attention, not to «ay anxiety, throughout the Empire, it is of some interest to oxamino generally live world's coal supplies and coal eonsifmption. For many years England held first jilnoc as a producer of coal, and it was not until 1839, ■when the coal production of the United States was -226 million tons as against 220 million tons representing the output of tho United Kingdom, that slio lost that position. Coal mining in Britain lias grown steadily, however, and is nearly, if not quite, the country's most important industry. Coal ojands third on the list, after cotton, and is all-important to British shipping, for otherwise the exports of the United Kingdom are mostly small in bulk and quantity compared with her imjjorts. Tho Board of Tiadc recently issued tho sixteenth of iU series of Coal Tables, which give statistics relating to the production of coal in foreign countries and in the British Empire. In round figures, the world's coal production for 1910 amounted to 1037 million tons, towardß which tho United States contributed 447 million tons, the United Kingdom 264 million, and the rest of the British Empire 42 million tons. 'Die growth of the coal production of the United States has been rcmarßable. ]n 1886 she produced about 27 per cent, of tho world's coal" supply, and in 1910 she produced about 4-3 per cont. of It. Tho United Kingdom produced 40 per cent, of the total in 1886 and about 25 ]>er cent, in 1910, Thua the positions of the two countries have been reversed in the last quarter of a century; Tho greatest increase in tho American output has been during the last ten yews. But tho vastncss of the American coal fields and tho rapid development of the iron and steel trade, the railways, and of industry generally quite account for the growth in coal production at roes the Atlantic. The year 1910 marked a record in output for the big coal-producing coantriw, except the United Kingdom, but the 264 million tons produced in that year in the Litter country were only exceeded by the 267 million tons produced in the boom yoar, 1907. In the British Empire India ami Canada show increases, of output of from less than two million tons in 1886 to approximately twelve million tone in 1910, wliilc among foreign countries Japan shows a rather larger increase m the name period, and Germany can point to a. tremendous growth of coal production, her output having risen from

57 million torn to 150 million tons in the twenty-livo years. Considering coal output relatively to population, wo find that in 1910 tho United Kingdom produce*l 5.89 tons per head, tho United States 1.86 tons, Belgium 3.13 tons, Germany 2.32 tons, New Zealand 2.19 tons, Australia 2.17 tons, and the Transvaal 2.12 ton?. As regards tho quantity of conl produced per person employed the United {States comes first with 617 tons in 1909, then New Zealand with 185, Canada with 449, and Australia with 448. The fact tl»t the United Kingdom only produced 257 tons per peison employed may bo considered to have some bearing on tho contention that the British coal-owners arc not- in a position to risk reducing this output per employed by oonoeding the minimum wage rates now asked for. The rels'.live smallness of output per coal worker in the United Kingdom is attributed chiefly to the increased difficulty of mining coal, tho output per man having fallen considerably during tlic last fifty years as the more fertile mines have exhausted and resort, lias ; been had to deeper and thinner reams. Coming to the world's consumption of coal, wo find that the United States uses now about two and a-half timca as much coal as Or eat Britain, which has tlio ivoxfc largest consumption. Even per head the United States i<f easily the world's heaviest coal consumer, retaining for home consumption annually 4.72 tons per individual as against 4.01 in tho United Kingdom, 2.01 in Germany, aaid 1.10 in Fra-nce. Put, although the United Kingdom is no longer the greatest coal pro. during country in tlio world, she is still by far tlio greatest coal-exporting country. In 1910 her export was 84 million tons as compared with 32 million tons exported by Germany, and 15 million tons by the United State. Commenting on the growing importance of Die British coal export trade during the past ten years, the Economist observes: "In spite of the gloomy prophecics of Protectionist seers, this can be regarded as a healthy sign. It is this export trade in coal that- enahles a large pait of our mercantile marine to oam a profit. Ships bringing cargoes of bulky raw materials to our shores aro enabled to clear again on an outward voyage with a cargo of coal. Thus they aro provided with a profitable cargo on the outward as well as tho liome. ward voyage. If we wore unable'to export coal many of our ships would have to make the outward voyage with small cargoes or in ballast, and in order to earn a profit freights on the homeward voyage would have to be raised so as to cover the expenses of the outward trip. This rise in freights could only be met by an increase in tho cost of the raw materials that ore so necessary to our industry." But the more the matter is considered tho more disastrous and farreaching appear tlio unavoidable results of a British coal strike of any duration.