pjioDUcrrioN, trade, labouii, etc. 
121 
The Indian coal export trade dates from 1884, but only assumed 
importance five years later when 51,305 tons 
Exports. ^^^j yfevo shipped to foreign ports, chiefly 
Ceylon and Singapore. In 1901 coal exports exceeded half a 
million tons, and the amount for 1910 was 988,366 tons. In the 
same year the principal shipments were to Ceylon (534,582 tons), 
Singapore (148,640 tons), Penang (89,815 tons), Sabang Bay (106,291 
tons) and Australia (74,340 tons). This latter shipment was due to 
a strike in the Australian coalfields. Small quantities were also sent 
to Batavia, Aden, Mauritius and Trinidad. In former years 
cargoes have been exported to British East Africa, Natal, Java, 
New Zealand, the Philippines, Arabia, Somaliland, Egypt and 
Madagascar. 
Practically the whole of the coal exported from India is shipped 
from Calcutta. For some years past the merchants of that port 
have been making strenuous efforts to drive foreign coal out of the 
eastern markets. The competitors with Bengal for these markets 
are England, Japan and Australia, and the struggle is most keen 
at the ports of Bombay, Colombo and Singapore. At Bombay 
English coal is the only serious rival of the Bengal fuel. Owing 
to its superior quality it is probable that for 'certain purposes, i.e., 
war-ships, mail-steamers, etc., English coal will always command a 
sm.all market. 
The freight rate from Cardiff to Bombay varies from 9s. to 14s. per 
ton, and the rise in the imports from England, which has taken place 
since 1903, is largely due to the extremely low fi'eights prevailing 
between Cardiff and Bombay. The Calcutta-Bombay freight varies 
from Rs. 4 to Rs. 6-8, but exporters are handicapped by the 
difficulty of securing return freights from Bombay. At the 
present time (October, 1911) the prices per ton in Bombay ex ship 
are Rs. 12 for Indian, and Rs. 16 to Rs. 20 for Enghsh coal. 
It is significant that while English coal has merely held its own 
in the Colombo market due to the special purposes for which it is 
required, yet the imports of Australia and Japan have occasionally 
gained ground. This is due to the fact that the Australian fuel 
is slightly superior to the best Bengal coal and that in both cases 
the coal is brought as a return cargo. The decline in Bengal 
shipments following on the boom years 1902 and 1908 was largely 
owing to the inferior quality of much of the fuel shipped in former 
years, and the resulting bad name which it acquired. Shippers are 
