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EFFECT OF THE BRITISH COAL TAX.
Regarding the effect of the British export tax
on coal the report of the royal commission on coal
supplies of Great Britain and Ireland contains
the following:
"It is self-evident that the export duty which
came into force in the early part of 1901 must
affect our competitive power and must have an
influence on the exportation of coal. We have had
evidence from witnesses representing coal owners
and coal exporters, and also from shipowners.
These witnesses expressed strong opinions against
the tax, which they believed was diminishing and
would diminish the export of coal, and consequently
injure their trading power, and this view
was supported by several of the British consuls
resident on the continent, where the business in
British coal is considerable. Since the imposition
of the tax, while the volume of exports excluding
bunker coal has increased, the rate of increase
of previous years has not heen maintained.
"The statistics show that the exports to some
markets, notably France, Belgium and the Netherlands,
have been reduced, especially for coal from
the Swansea and Llonelly districts and from the
Humber ports. It is difficult to resist the contention
that the tax had some effect in reducing
the tonnage exported in 1901, although it is probable
that the high level of prices, which was still
maintained and the declining condition of trade,
both at home and abroad, had some influence on
the figures. The total output of coal in 1901 in
the United Kingdom was less by 6,000,000 tons
than in 1900, but it should be noted that the home
consumption in 1901 was 5,500,000 tons less than
it was in 1900. It should not he overlooked that
the coal exporter has had the advantage of much
lower export freights for coal in 1901 and subsequently
than prevailed in 1900, and this must have
mitigated the effect of the tax to a large extent.
"The principal competitors of the United Kingdom
in coal production are Germany and the
THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN. 45
United States. While the output of the United
Kingdom has little more than doubled since 1870,
that of Germany has increased more than fourfold
and that of the United States no less than tenfold.
All other countries have also greatly increased
their outputs. While these large increases of
output have been taking place in foreign coal
fields, the cost of working has steadily increased
in the United Kingdom, thus affecting our competitive
power. Improved appliances and methods
have enabled the colliery owners to some extent
to keep down costs, but none the less the cost of
working has steadily increased, and for various
reasons, such as the necessity of working thinner
and deeper seams, the increased cost of labor due
to shorter hours and higher wages, and additional
expenditure due to local taxation and to government
and parliamentary requirements.
"The volume of our eoal export trade has steadily
increased during the last thirty years, and the
rate of increase in our exports has been greater
than that of our total output. Markets have heen
lost for different reasons, and some of them possibly
permanently, but the exports to other markets
have so increased that the losses are obliterated,
and a steady upward movement has been maintained
practically throughout the period. Of the
markets lost some are now supplied from local
sources and some from other coal fields whence
they can obtain cheaper coal."
One-Way Settlers' Fares to South and Southeast.
One-way excursion tickets to points in Alabama,
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi,
North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and
Virginia, account Settlers' Excursions, will be sold
from all ticket stations on the Pennsylvania Lines,
during March and ApriJ. For full particulars
consult J. K. Dillon. District Passenger Agent,
515 Park Building, Pittsburgh, Pa.
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MACOMBER & WHYTE ROPE CO.
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21 So. Canal Street,
CHICAGO.
402 Park Building,
PITTSBURGH.
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NEW YORK.