I believe since the Bureau of Mines does follow the figures of production they would be in a much better position to give you authoritative information on that matter.

Senator NEELY. Senator Austin, do you wish to know the amount of anthracite coal produced in this country?

Senator AUSTIN. He has the total of anthracite production, which appears to me to be very much less than the bituminous production. Senator DAVIS. Oh, yes.

Senator NEELY. It amounts to about one-tenth of the production of bituminous coal. Pennsylvania is the only State that produces an appreciable quantity of anthracite.

Senator DAVIS. I do not believe there is any anthracite coal produced anywhere except in Pennsylvania, in the Scranton and WilkesBarre districts. I remember that the peak production in anthracite ran around something like 90,000.000 to 110,000,000 tons, and at the same time the bituminous production was around 750,000,000 tons.

Senator NEELY. Public records show that during the last calendar year this country produced 54,760,000 tons of anthracite, and it is estimated that the so-called bootleggers in Pennsylvania produced and marketed about 4,000,000 tons more.

Senator DAVIS. I think, Mr. Chairman, in 1929 the production of bituminous coal ran around 500,000,000 tons.

Senator AUSTIN. Mr. Harding, your table shows that the imports of anthracite coal are relatively higher, as well as higher in quantity, than the imports of bituminous. That is to say, that the imports of anthracite are 1 percent of the production in this country. Mr. HARDING. They ran pretty close to that.

Senator AUSTIN. Whereas the imports of bituminous coal are onetenth of 1 percent of the production in this country. Is that right? Mr. HARDING. That is right, or under that.

Senator AUSTIN. And then looking at your tables, in the matter of quantity, the imports of anthracite for the year 1936 were 548,000 tons, whereas the imports of bituminous were 223,000 tons.

Mr. HARDING. That is correct. Those figures are preliminary figures, of course, for the year 1936.

Senator AUSTIN. I believe that is all I wish to ask. Now, Mr. Chairman, I should like to see these tabulations made a part of the record.

Senator NEELEY (chairman of the subcommittee). It is so ordered. We are very much obliged to you, Mr. Harding.

Mr. HARDING. I am very glad if I have been of any benefit to you gentlemen.

(Thereupon Mr. Harding left the committee table.)

Senator MOORE. Mr. Chairman, I move that there be no open public hearings by this subcommittee, but that the subcommittee reserve the right to call before them any persons whom they may wish to hear, and that any proposed amendments to the bill be required to be submitted in writing for our consideration.

Senator AUSTIN. Will that motion be interpreted to mean that any member of the subcommittee may call any person he may want to hear?

Senator NEELY. Yes; within reasonable limits.

(Thereupon there was considerable discussion off the record.) Senator NEELY. The subcommittee will now adjourn until 2:30 p. m. tomorrow.

(The tabulations furnished by Mr. Harding are as follows:)

Value comparison-United States imports, exports, and production of coal (both bituminous and anthracite)

1930. 1931.

1932.

1933

1934

1935

1936.

1930.

1931.

1932

1933.

1934

1935.

1936

Tonnage comparison-Production, exports, and imports of coal

MEMORANDUM REGARDING IMPORTS OF COAL INTO THE UNITED STATES

The Guffey bill applies only to bituminous coal. As indicated in the accompanying tables, imports are relatively unimportant, being confined almost entirely to imports from British Columbia into our Northwestern States and return cargo for tramp steamers carrying ores and grain to the United Kingdom. The same comments are applicable to slack, culm, and lignite. Total imports of bituminous coal amount to less than one-tenth of 1 percent of production; exports, well over 90 percent to Canada, amount to between 2 and 3 percent of production.

Although anthracite is not included in the proposed measure, statistics covering anthracite have been compiled. Imports, coming chiefly from Russia (since 1932 dutiable at $2.24 per ton) and secondly from Wales, part of which enter free, amount to scarcely 1 percent of domestic production. The variability of charter rates and the cost of production, particularly in Russia, prohibit analysis of the retail selling prices of the competing anthracites in a given market. According to telegraphic information received February 27 in Boston, current retail prices were as follows:

Russian anthracite.

Wales anthracite

Pennsylvania---.

Per net ton $14.75

14.75

13.75

Russian hard coal is favored for its low ash content. Imports of British anthracite are due mostly to the need for return cargo, as previously pointed out.

According to information supplied by Customs, import duty is assessed against coal under section 601, title IV (c) (5) of the Revenue Act of 1932. "Coal of all sizes, grades, and classifications (except culm and duff), coke manufactured therefrom; and coal or coke briquettes, 10 cents per 100 pounds. The tax on the articles described in this paragraph shall apply only with respect to the importation of such articles, and shall not be imposed upon any such article if, during the preceding calendar year the exports of the articles described in this paragraph from the United States to the country from which such article is imported have been greater in quantity than imports into the United States from such country of the articles described in this paragraph." It is our understanding further that the above clause applies in all cases except where the principle of our most-favored-nation policy applies. Court decisions in 1934 and 1935 ruled that since our balance of trade in all coal products in Canada is heavily favorable to us, and since United Kingdom enjoys favored-nation treatment, imports of coal and coal products coming from Great Britain enter duty free.

(Thereupon, at 4 p. m., the subcommittee adjourned to meet at 2:30 p. m. the following day, Tuesday, Mar. 2, 1937, in the committee hearing room in the Capitol.)