§ Now I come to another tax, which was even more bitterly opposed than the duty on sugar—the export duty on coal. We do not hear much about that now. That duty produced last year £1,314,000—a little more than my estimate, after allowing for the exemption granted to certain contracts made before the date of the Budget, and for the rebate on coal not exceeding the price of 6s. per ton free on board. The total export of coal in the twelve months ending with the 31st of last month was 44,064,000 tons; in the previous twelve months it had been 45,153,000 tons. I anticipated a decrease on account of what everybody knows has occurred—the great commercial depression in Germany, which is a large purchaser of our coal; and similar conditions though less in extent, in other coal importing countries. But, comparing the exports of the year ending March 31st last, with the exports of the year ending March 31st, 1900, which were 43,694,000 tons, it will be seen that the exports of last year were higher than those of any-previous year except the record year which immediately preceded it. Although no doubt the imports of coal into Hamburg from all sources have been less than in the previous year, yet our coal in that market has held its own; and, having carefully consulted our Consuls at several places in the Mediterranean, I think I am in a position to form a pretty certain estimate that the competition of American coal in the Mediterranean, which began owing to the high prices in the year 1900, is not likely to be continued to any extent in the year that is now before us.
§ Sir, there has been a curious matter with regard to this export of coal. I alluded last year to the effect the duty 166 might have on our great shipping interest, and ventured to suggest that our ship-owners, when clearing from home ports, might with advantage devote a little more space on board their ships to coal than they had previously done, so as to save them from paying the duty on coaling abroad. That was laughed at at the time; I was told I knew nothing about shipping. But the shipowners have acted upon my advice. In the year 1901 the exports of bunker coal, which, as everyone knows, is duty free, amounted to 11,827,000 tons; in the year just ended. March 31st, they amounted to 13,966,000 tons, which pretty well proves that many shipowners have taken coals for the round voyage instead of coaling, as they did formerly, partly at foreign ports, and thus a change has been effected which cannot but be to the advantage of our coal industry at home. On the whole, I will venture to say that, as far as the experience of this last year goes, there has been no ground whatever shown for those prophecies of ruin to our great coal mining and exporting industry of which we heard so much in this House last year from the representatives of that industry. I do not say that the experience of last year is conclusive, because, of course, a large part of our exports were under contracts made before the date of the Budget. The year that is to come will be a much fairer test. But this I will say, that, if the result should show that there has been in that year no increase in the export of our coal, or even a decrease as compared with former years, that will not be to my mind any proof whatever that this duty ought to be repealed.