COAL. O 



eighth part of the entire out-turn of Indian coal was raised solely for 

 such purposes. And a reference to the fig-ures will show that, in the follow- 

 ing year the out-turn diminished by nearly one-fourth of the whole 

 amount to which it had previously attained. 



Subsequently, although the demand for works of construction 

 diminished, the line of railway itself was gradually opened up, and 

 the extension of communication led to greater demands for fuel. These 

 demands have continued to increase at a rapid rate, until in 1866, in 

 consequence of the extension of the use of coal instead of wood to 

 the upper sections of the line (the completion of the Jumna bridge at 

 Allahabad enabling this to be carried out) the demand of the previous year 

 was nearly doubled. The amounts supplied for the use of the locomotive 

 department alone on the East Indian Railway, independently of coal 

 used for other purposes, have been during the last eight years as 



follows : — 



1861 ... 9,91,215 1865 ... 28,27,953 



1862 ... 12,29,709 1866 ... 50,79,612 



1863 ... 18,37,717 1867 ... 50,60,206 



1864 ... 26,96,442 1868 ... 58,40,759 

 Thus it appears that this one line of railway alone now requires, for 



its own consumption only, nearly one-half of the total quantity of coal 

 raised in India. The vast extension of the demands for railway purposes 

 will appear when we state that the total quantity of Indian coal used in the 

 railways which are connected with Calcutta, was in 1867, 63,70,321 mds. 

 and in 1868, 66,20,837 as compared with 9,91,215 mds. in 1861. This 

 is independently of imported, or English coal, used for sundry 

 purposes. 



I showed in 1867 that, disregarding the very large increase 

 in the demand for coal for railway purposes, there had been a con- 

 tinuous and steady decrease in the amount of coal raised in India since 

 the year 1863. This diminution went on up to the year 1867. But 

 I am glad to see that this decrease in the amount of out-turn for purposes 



( 135 ) 



