S/K WILLIAM SIEMENS, I-.R.S. IOI 



up from the mines of England and Wales, notwithstanding famine 

 prices and the colliers' strikes. In 18C2 the total getting of coal 

 amounted to only 83,500,000, showing a yearly average increase of 

 production of 4,000,000 tons. If this progressive increase con- 

 tinues, our production will have reached, thirty years hence, the 

 startling figure of 250,000,000 tons per annum ; which would 

 probably result in an increase of price very much in excess of the 

 limits yet reached. In estimating last year's increase of price, 

 which has every appearance of being permanent, at Ss. per ton all 

 round, and after deducting the 13,000,000 tons which were ex- 

 ported abroad, we find that the British consumer had to pay 

 44,000,000 more than the market value of former years for his 

 supply of coal, a sufficient sum, one would think, to make him 

 look earnestly into the question of " waste of fuel," which, as I 

 have been endeavouring to show, is very great indeed. The Select 

 Committee just quoted sums up its report by the following ex- 

 pression : " The general conclusion to be drawn from the whole 

 evidence is, that though the production of coal increased in 1872 

 in a smaller ratio than it had increased in the years immediately 

 preceding, yet if an adequate supply of labour can be obtained, the 

 increase of production will shortly keep pace with that of the last 

 few years." 



This is surely a very insufficient conclusion to be arrived at by 

 a Select Parliamentary Committee after a long and expensive 

 inquiry, and the worst of it is, that it stands in direct contradiction 

 with the corrected table given *in the same report, which shows 

 that the progressive increase of production has been fully main- 

 tained during the last two years, having amounted to 5,826,000 

 for 1871, and 5,717,000 for 1872 ; whereas the average increase 

 during the last ten years has only been 4,000,000 tons ! It is 

 to be hoped that Parliament will not rest satisfied with such 

 a negative result, but will insist upon knowing whether a proper 

 balance between the demand and supply of coal cannot be re- 

 established, also what can be done to prevent the wholesale con- 

 version of fuel into useless or positively hurtful products. 



In taking the 105,000,000 tons of coal consumed in this 

 country last year for our basis, I estimate that, if we could make 

 up our minds to consume our coal in a careful and judicious 

 manner, according to our present lights, we 'should be able to 



