February 7, 1913. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 281 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ the requirements of the trade, to take into consideration and carry out whatever might be necessary for the efficient working of the coal trade of the county. Mr. Carlow, on behalf of the author, presented to Lady Dalkeith and Mrs. Whitelaw respectively a handsomely-bound copy of a booklet written by Mr. A. S. Cunningham, containing an historical sketch of mining in the kingdom of Fife. ________________________ THE WORLD’S COAL PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION. The seventeenth of the series of returns has been issued by the Board of Trade relating to the production of coal in the principal countries of the world, the numbers employed in coalmining in the several countries the international trade in coal, coke, &c., and the amounts available for consumption. The following statement shows the average annual output of coal in the five principal coal-producing countries, during the periods 1901-5, and 1906-10, and the output in each of the years 1910 and 1911:— 1901-5* 1906-10* 1910. 1911. 1,000’s of 1,000’s of 1,000’s of 1,000’s of tons. tons. tons. tons. United Kingdom 229,007 . .. 261,727 ., .. 264,433 .. . 271,899 Germany 113,106 .. .. 143,573 .. 150,372 .. . 158,164f France 32,261 .. . 35,585 .. . 37,030 .. . 38,023f Belgium 22,533 . .. 23 273 .. .. 23,532 .. . 22,683 United States ... 303,033 . .. 405,851 .. .. 447,854 .. . 443,0251 * Annual average. t Provisional figures. The aggregate output of these five countries was nearly 934 million tons in 1911, being an increase of 11 million tons on the output of 1910, and of 53 million tons on that of 1909. The average annual output in the above-mentioned countries was 870 million tons in the 5 years 1906-10, an increase on the average for the previous quinquennium of over 170 million tons. Of the remaining countries included in the tables, Russia alone has a production exceeding 20 million tons yearly. The total known coal production of the world (exclusive of brown coal or lignite) in 1911 was about 1,050 million tons, of which the United Kingdom pro- duced more than one-fourth, and the United States more than two-fifths. As compared with its population, the production of coal in the United Kingdom still surpasses that in the United States. It amounts to 6 tons per head, whilst in the United States it is under 5 tons per head. In Belgium it amounts to more than 3 tons, in Germany to about 2f tons, and in France to under one ton per head. The production per head of the population in 1911 was larger than the average for the years 1906-10 in each of these countries, except Belgium, where a gradual decrease of output per head of the population is apparent. The following statement shows the average value per ton of the coal produced, taken at the collieries, in the five above-mentioned countries, in each of the periods dealt with in the preceding statement :— 1901-5* 1906-10* 1910. 1911. Per ton. Per ton. Per ton. Per ton. s. d. 3. d. s. d. s. d. United Kingdom.. .. 7 10| . 8 3| ... 8 24 .. . 8 If Germany .. 8 9| .. . 9 10| ... 9 Ilf .. . 9 9ft France ..11 6 .. .. 12 3 ... 12 3| .. — Belgium .10 8} .. . 12 64 ... 11 104 •• . 12 0 United States .. 5 10} .. . 5 10 ... 5 104 .. . 5 10ft * Annual average. t Provisional figures. The following statement shows the annual output of coal in the principal parts of the British Empire:— 1901-5* 1906-10* 1910. 1911. 1,000’s of 1,000’s of 1,000’s of 1,000’s of tons. tons. tons. tons. British India.... 7,626 .. . 11,523 ... . 12,047 . .. 12,716 Australia 7,041 .. . 9,283 ... . 9,759 . .. 10,550t New Zealand.... 1,427 .. . 1,906 ... . 2,197 . .. 2,066t Canada 6,935 .. . 9,745 ... . 11,526 .. .. 10,082f South Africa .... 2,766 .. . 5,137 ... . 6,351 . .. 6,780 * Annual average. f Provisional figures. The output per head of the population in 1911 amounted to 2J tons in Australia, slightly over 2 tons in New Zealand, If tons in Canada, and to If tons in South Africa. The average value of coal in recent years at the pit’s mouth in the principal parts of the British Empire is shown below:— 1901-5* 1906-10* 1910. 1911. Per ton. Per ton. Per ton. Per ton. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. British India ...... 3 ... 4 ... 4 1 ... 3 Ilf Australia .......... 7 H ... 7 If ... 7 6| ... 7 5Jf New Zealand ...... 10 9| ...10 ...11 If ...10 10ff Canada ............ 9 3 ...10 6f ...11 Of ...10 9f South Africa........ 10 2^ ... 6 9 ... 5 10f ... 5 8| * Annual average. f Provisional figures. With regard to the number of persons employed in the coalmining industry, it is seen that a far larger number is employed in the United Kingdom than in any other country. In 1910 the number of persons employed in coalmining, above and below ground, in each of the principal producing countries was as follows, viz.:—United Kingdom, 1,027,500; United States, 725,000; Germany, 621,100; France, 196,800; and Belgium, 143,700. In drawing any conclusions from the comparison of these figures with one another, and with the output of the several countries, it must be borne in mind that they include varying proportions of persons engaged in the actual work of getting coal, and in other work connected with the mines, and that the regularity of employment of those included in the totals of employed is not the same in all countries. As regards the output per person employed, which is affected to a certain extent by the methods of operation and by the accessibility of the seams, the United States took the first place with an output in 1910 of 618 tons per person employed, the United Kingdom second place with 257 tons, followed by Germany, France, and Belgium, with 242 tons, 188 tons, and 164 tons respec- tively. In the United Kingdom and Germany the output per person employed has considerably decreased during recent years, the quantity having fallen in the United Kingdom from 292 tons in 1907 to 266 in 1909, and 260 in 1911, and in Germany from 264 tons in 1906 to 242 in 1910; these figures, however, show an increase compared with the previous year of 3 tons in the output per person in the United Kingdom in 1911, and in Germany in 1910. The output per person averaged 275 tons in the United Kingdom and 249 in Germany during the years 1906-10, being a decrease of 6 tons in the United Kingdom, and an increase of 9 tons in Germany, when compared with the figures for the; preceding quinquennium. The foreign countries which export coal in excess of the amount they import are Germany, the United States, and Japan. Of the divisions of the British Empire included in the tables, the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth of Australia, the Union of South Africa, and British India are in the same category—the Dominion of New Zealand also falling into this group in 1910 and 1911. The following statement gives particulars of the excess of exports over imports in 1910 and 1911 in the countries named :— Countries. 1910. Imports. 1911. Imports. Exports. Excess of exports. Exports. Excess of exports. 1,000’s of 1,000’s of 1,000’s of 1,000’s of 1,000’s of 1,000’s of tons. tons. tons. tons. tons. tons. United Kingdom 48 84,542 84,494 41 87,081 87,040 Germany 12,252 32,398 20,416 11,907 36,634 24,727 United States 2,249 15,271 13,022 1,353 18.956 17,603 Japan 206 4,936 4,730 222 5,223 5,001 Australia 309 2,831 2,522 10 3,144 3,134 South Africa 70 1,317 1,247 61 1,360 1,299 British India 344 890 546 331 874 543 New Zealand 232 277 45 188 224 36 The records show a larger export from the United Kingdom than the aggregate of the exports from the other countries included in the tables, the annual averages for the years 1906-10 being 83| million tons from the United Kingdom, and 63J million tons from the other countries; the latter figures, however, exclude the quantities exported from certain countries for the use of steam vessels engaged in the foreign trade. In 1911 the exports from all the other countries amounted to nearly 78 million tons. The principal coal-producing foreign countries which imported coal in excess of the amount they exported in 1911 were Russia, Sweden, France, Belgium, Spain, and 1 Austria-Hungary. Italy depends almost entirely upon imports for her coal supply. Of the divisions of the British Empire included in the tables, Canada alone had an excess of imports in 1910 and 1911. The following statement shows the excess amount of coal imported into the above-mentioned countries in 1910 and 1911:— Countries. 1910. 1911. Imports. Exports. Excess of imports. Imports. Exports. Excess of imports. 1,000’s of 1,000’s of 1,000’s of 1,000’s of 1,000’s of 1,000’s of tons. tons. tons. ! tons. tons. tons. Russia 4,911 104 4,807 5,568* 94* 5,474* Sweden 4,564 1 4,563 4,438* 1* 4,437* ; Belgium 7,395 7,077 318 ' 8,683 7,240 1,443 France 19,243 1,652 17,591 20,827* 1,717* 19,110* Spain 2,472 5 2,467 2,541* 9* 2,532* Italy 9,189 47 9,142 ; 9,442* 40* 9,402* Austria-Hungary 10,857 1,101 9,756 j 11,902 1,210 10,692 Dominion of Canada 10,012 2,067 7,945 j * 13,053 i 1,335 11,718 * Provisional figures. The question of the exports of coal from each country compared with 12,472,479 tons in 1910, and 12,273,815 is complicated by the fact that the published returns do not in all cases show the procedure with regard to what is called “bunker coal.” The figures given for the exports from the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, and Japan are inclusive of coal for the use of steamers engaged in the foreign trade, while coal for the use of steamers engaged in the coasting or river trade is excluded. In the records of the exports of the United States coal shipped for the use of steamers engaged in the foreign trade is not included. The quantity of such coal shipped at ocean ports amounted to 5,885,744 tons in 1909, to 6,193,852 tons in 1910, and to 6,332,108 tons in 1911; and at lake ports 233,400 tons in 1909, 251,741 tons in 1910, and 335,225 tons in 1911. The principle in Germany prior to March 1, 1906, was to exclude all coal put on board vessels to be used as bunker coal from the import and export accounts. Since March 1, 1906, the German coal supplied as bunkers to foreign vessels is included in the exports, while that supplied to German vessels is excluded. The amount recorded as shipped for the use of foreign vessels has been small, only amouting to between 170,000 and 232,000 tons per annum. In the United Kingdom the coal shipped for the use of steamers in the foreign trade amounted in 1909 to 19,713,907 tons, in 1910 to 19,525,735 tons, and in 1911 to 19,264,189 tons. The quantities so shipped from Japan were between two and two and a-quarter million tons in each of the past five years. The consumption of coal in each country has been arrived at, for the purposes of the present tables, by adding the imports to the home production, and deducting the exports. The consumption of coal in some of the chief consuming countries is shown in the following statement, in which the countries are given in the order of importance as coal consumers in 1911:— 1901-05* 1906-10* 1910. 1911. 1,000’s of 1,000’s of 1,000’s of 1,000’s of tons. tons. tons. tons. United States 279,334.. . 394,836... 434,832.. . 425,4224 United Kingdom... . 166,026.. . 178,190... 179,939.. . 184,859 Germany 99,695.. . 127,479... 130,226.. . 133,4374 France . 44,962.. . 52,793... 54,621.. . 57,1334 Russia , 21,153.. . 29,043... 29,267-. . 28,2984 Austria-Hungary... , 18,327.. . 24,079... 24,590... — Belgium 19,696.. . 22,810... 23,850.. . 24,126 * Annual average. f Provisional figures. The consumption of coal per head of population in the countries included in the preceding table is shown in the following statement, which applies to the years 1901 to 1911 1901-5* Tons. United Kingdom... 3’93 United States ..... 3’68 Belgium ......... 2’82 Germany ......... 1*69 France ........... 1T5 Austria-Hungary ... 0’39 Russia ........... 015 1906-10* 1910. 1911. Tons. Tons. Tons. . 4*04 ... 401 . . 408 . 4’44 ... 4-72 . . 454f . 310 ... 321 . . 3-21 . 2-02 ... 201 . . 2’03f . 1’34 ... 1’39 . . l-44f . 0 49 ... 0’50 . — . 018 ... 0T7 . . 017f f Provisional figures. * Annual average. In France and Germany a large quantity of fuel of other sorts, such as lignite, wood, peat and denatured spirits, is also used. A return, showing the quantity of coal consumed for locomotive purposes by the railway companies in the United Kingdom has again been obtained. The amount of coal so consumed was 12,821,641 tons in 1911, as tons in 1909. Similar information is also available in the case of a few other countries, of which the following may be quoted:—Russia in Europe (1908), 5,348,000