Notes on Recent Production and Movement of Coal in Europe

ECENT important changes have been brought about in the AR production and international movement of coal in Europe.1 These changes have been an actual decrease in the amount of coal produced and consumed in 1929 as compared with 1913, an increase in the production and use of lignite, a decrease in coal production in the leading producing nation and an increase in production in many other nations most of which formerly imported the greater part of the coal used, a change in international markets and consequently a change in the international movement of coal, and a decline in the exports of the leading exporting nations. These changes have been largely due to forces generated by the World War and to recent changes in the development and use of power. For some time Europe has been producing about half the world's supply of coal and the larger part of the world's supply of lignite. Before the World War the European coal industry was in a most prosperous condition. Between I886 and 1913 consumption increased at the rate of slightly more than four per cent a year. Production increased accordingly and was accompanied by a gradual rise in price. Profits and wages both rose, and little attention was given to perfecting more economical methods of production. The World War interrupted this prosperous condition. Many importing countries were unable to secure the usual amounts of coal, and what they did secure was procured only at extremely high prices. In order to protect themselves against this difficulty and against similar situations in the future these countries sought to develop their own supplies of coal and lignite and to protect these new developments by high tariff walls. A search for substitute sources of power was also instituted, and scientific developments caused marked progress to be made in efficient use of fuels. Thus Europe increased its capacity to produce coal and at the same time increased its use of substitutes and its efficient use of coal

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