The World’s Coal Supply.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 5015, 24 May 1889, Page 2

The World’s Coal Supply.

Some of the leading journals of the day have recently been speculating on the probable exhaustion of anthracite and other coal in the United States, assuming also that the world’s supply of coal must be chiefly obtained from this country. We have been looking up the subject and find that there are largo bodies of undeveloped coal territory in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Bohemia, Siberia, Hanover, amounting to 59,000 square miles, aud ilussii with 22,000 square miles. The Island of Formosa can furnish 10,000 square miles of coal. At Pokin there are seams of coal 95ft. in thickness. largo coal territories abound in Austria, Spain, 8. W. Poland, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Persia, amounting to over 20,000 square miles, to

which wo may add 35,000 square milee for India, and 400,000 to the credit of China. Japan is capable of furnishing 6000 square miles. Then wo take Falkland Islands, Patagonia, and Peru, where there are very extensive deposits of coal. Most of the southern part of Chili is a vast coal field. Then comes Brazil, an immense empire, baying coal beds from 7ft to 25ft in thickness. In the United if tales and Columbia there is a cretaceous coal of fair quality and bituminous beds far beneath the surface. Then wo must make a note of Mexico, Vancouver's Island, New South Wales, the latter 25,000 square miles. To those we add Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, good for 14.000 square miles. New Zealand can furnish 29,000, and then wo have not counted on Tasmania, New Caledonia, Natal, Alaska, and still other undeveloped parts of the world, making an addition of at least 100,000 square miles. It must be remembered that all the carboniferous areas enumerated are undeveloped and known only to geologists. We do not mean by this that geologists are wiser than other people, but such matters come within the tine of their profession, and geology is a study of such colossal magnitude that very few persons give it any attention. In this estimate wo have not included any of the working operations of the world, nor any coal lands in North America, excepting Alaska and Mexico, nor have wo delved into the carboniferous strata of Africa. It will thus be seen that the world’s future supply of fuel i is not likely to be exhausted within the next i 100,000 centuries. —“ Kuhlows.”