Japan.
—Japan has on the main island, Hondo, enough coal to permit considerable exports. Supplies in Korea and Formosa are less abundant. In all Japan’s coal there is very little of good coking quality.
When the war reduced the amount of British shipping in the North Pacific, Japanese ships supplied Japanese coal to a number of new coaling stations, and the British may find it difficult to regain their former prominence in bunkering there. Japanese coal now gets as far west also as Colombo, Ceylon.
Japanese law specifies Japanese control of the policy of mining companies, though some foreign financial interests are allowed. Japan controls a part of the coal produced in China, and by presenting insistent demands is increasing her control in that country. If given a free hand, Japan is in a position to exercise industrial and military control in Asia almost as thoroughly as the United States can in America. English and Belgian interests have some Chinese coal, and thus are about the only real competition at present with Japanese control.
China.
—Outside the United States, China has the largest coal reserves of any country in the world. The coal varies in quality and grade; some of it is excellent, but the production has reached only about 18,000,000 tons a year. Some districts export and others import coal. The country could easily be independent if there were internal means of distribution. There might even be large exports if production began in advance of other industrial development. Coking coal is available only in certain areas, mostly in the south.
The largest and best-equipped producer is the Kailan Mining Administration, operating British and Chinese properties. The ownership of the company is mostly in Belgian hands, but the incorporation is under Hong Kong law, so that the company is under British control.
The chief producers in China are:
Table 6.—Chief Producers of Coal in China
| Company | Tons a year | Control |
|---|---|---|
| Kailan Mining Administration | 3,000,000 | British and Chinese |
| Funshun Collieries | 2,000,000 | Owned by the South Manchuria Railway Co. (Japanese) |
| Pingshieng Collieries | 1,000,000 | Chinese |
| Pekin Syndicate | 500,000 | British |
| Pingshihu | 300,000 | Japanese |
| Lincheng | 800,000 | Belgian |