102 



REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE. — 1919. 



Average Wholesale Prices of Coal and Coke per Long Ton in the Urnted 

 States for each Year since 1913. 



From an examination of the monthly returns it appears that, with 

 the exception of those of anthracite, American wholesale coal and coke 

 prices rose sharply during the latter half of 1916, and reached a maxi- 

 mum about the middle of 1917. Thus Pocahontas reached a maximum 

 of 29s. 2d. (f.o.b. Norfolk, Va.) in May-June 1917, and bituminous 

 one of 28s. per ton (f.o.b. Cincinnati) at the same period. Connels- 

 ville coke, which is that used in the Pittsburgh blast furnaces, touched 

 a maximum of 57s. 2d. per ton in 1917. After that period prices fell 

 'under control.' Thus Pocahontas fell to a minimum of 16s. 3d. in 

 August-October 1917, since which time they have steadily risen until in 

 April 1919 they were at 20s. bd. per ton. Bituminous fell to 14s. in 

 September- October 1917, but have since risen to 18s. 8d. per ton (f.o.b. 

 Cincinnati) in April 1919. Connelsville coke kept at 28s. for a period 

 of fifteen months from October 1917 to December 19l8 (both inclusive), 

 since which it has steadily declined, month by month, until in April 

 1919 it stood at 18s. 2d. per ton. In the same month the price of 

 Durham coke at the ovens was 33s. per ton -plus a subsidy (paid by the 

 Government) of 5s. 7d. per ton. It thus appears that already American 

 fuel prices have fallen to a level considerably below those ruling in this 

 country, a circumstance which gives American 'manufacturers a great 

 initial advantage over our own. 



Research on the Chemistry of Coal. 



Since the previous Eeport, Professor Bone has continued to direct 

 the research work upon the Chemistry of Coal at the Imperial College of 

 Science and Technology, London, which he originally undertook in 1916 

 at the instance of the Committee. In conjunction with Mr. R. J. 

 Sarjant he has recently published, in the ' Proceedings of the Royal 

 Society, ' the results of a series of experiments upon the so-called solvent 

 action of pyridine ujjon coal, to which Bedson first drew attention in 

 the year 1899.^ Since that time it has been investigated by a number 

 of other chemists as a possible means of discriminating between the chief 

 types of constituents of the coal substance. Wheeler and his co-workers 

 nave employed it extensively in their researches, claiming that if the 



3 Bedson, Journ. Soc. Ghent. Ind. 1908, p. 147. 



