ialism,
the large reserves of high grade-coals in China have led to the belief
that China may some day develop into a great manufacturing nation.
Similarly, the deficiency in coal of most of the South American and
African countries seems to preclude their developing any very large
manufacturing industries, except where water power is available. Coal
reserves and the conservation of coal are further discussed in Chapter
XVII.

The war resulted in considerable disturbances in coal production and
distribution. There has not yet been a return to normal conditions, and
some of the changes are probably permanent. The great overseas movement
of coal from Germany was stopped and that from England curtailed. To
some extent the deficiency was supplied by coal exports from the United
States, particularly to South America. The shutting off of the normal
German export to France and Mediterranean countries, the occupation of
the French and Belgian coal fields by the Germans, and the partial
restriction of German exports to Scandinavian countries, resulted in
Europe's absorbing most of the British coal available for export, and in
addition requiring coal from the United States. The stress in the
world's coal industry to meet the energy requirements of war is too
recent and vivid to require more than mention. The world was made to
realize almost for the first time the utterly vital and essential nature
of this industry.

Since the war, there has been a gradual resumption of England's export
of coal along old lines of international trade. The German overseas
export trade has not been reestablished, and cannot be for a long time
to come if Germany fulfills the terms of the Peace Treaty. Indeed,
because of slow recovery in output of German coal, there is yet
considerable lag in the supply available for European countries. The
terms of the Peace Treaty lessened the territory of German coal reserves
and required considerable additional contributions of coal to be
delivered to France, Belgium, Luxemburg, and Italy.

The increased export of coal from the United States during the war is
likely to be in part continued in the future, although the great bulk of
the United States production will in the future, as in the past, be
absorbed locally. Most of the coal in the United States available for
export is higher in volatile matter than the British and German export
coal. This quality will in some degree be a limiting factor in
exportation. O