EUROPE: UNITED KINGDOM. 285 



anthracite districts are in the southern half and the bituminous in 

 the northern half of Ireland. But the amount of coal produced is 

 small almost inconsiderable. It probably does not exceed 125,000 

 tons. The annual consumption of coal amounts to about 4,000,000 

 tons. 



In many parts of Ireland, especially in the central plain, there 

 are extensive peat bogs, capable of yielding a large supply of fuel 

 for many centuries. But, owing to the bulkiness of peat, the diffi- 

 culty of drying it in Ireland, and the exorbitant railway rates for 

 freights of all kinds, it is so expensive that it can not compete with 

 coal, except under very favorable circumstances. 



The raw materials in Ireland suitable for making paper, besides 

 peat, are rags and straw. The supply of these is not sufficient, and 

 both are imported from England, Germany, and Belgium. 



MACHINERY. 



No paper-making machinery is made in Ireland. That used comes 

 from England, although some of it is made in the United States 

 and Europe. One mill recently constructed, but not yet working, 

 is fitted entirely with American machinery. 



IMPORTS. 



The foreign papers used are chiefly those for newspapers, nign- 

 glaze paper for half-tone illustrations and magazine printing gen- 

 erally, wall paper, brown papers, and some writing papers. These 

 papers are made in Holland, Belgium, Norway and Sweden, Ger- 

 many, the United States, and France. Some of this paper comes 

 direct, but most of it via England and Scotland. No statistics are 

 published showing the sources of the papers coming into Ireland, 

 but the tables for the United Kingdom for 1897 show that the im- 

 ports of paper from the United States increased from 1,950 tons in 

 1893 to 32,050 tons in 1897, while the imports from Holland, Bel- 

 gium, Norway, Sweden, Germany, and France increased from 139,- 

 150 tons in 1893 to 202,700 tons in 1897. Thus, while the United 

 States increased its contribution to British markets more than 1,500 

 per cent, the other sources of supply did not increase quite 50 per 

 cent. 



The banking facilities in Ireland are excellent, there being about 

 four hundred and eighty branches of the large metropolitan banks. 



The mails from Dublin to European countries leave twice a day 

 and are delivered in from one to three days, according to the place 

 sent. The mails for the United States are sent via Queenstown 

 twice a week, and, if so directed, via any boat from Southampton. 

 They are delivered in the United States in from seven to fourteen 



