If we take up this option we shall have all the coal lands we shall need for generations to come. and they will be so well protected and. so easily accessible that the coal can be mined at a cost of not more than $2 a ton. We are now paying for Japanese and Australian coal of an inferior quality all the way froin $4 to $6 a ton. and that which is being carried from Newport NewsPocahontas coalis costing. delivered at Manila. $10 a ton. The Pocahontas coal is used almost exclusively by the ships of our Asiatic Fleet and costs $10 per ton. that used in the furnaces of our Army transports which run between San Francisco and Manila either comes from Japan or Australia and costs some $4. or $5 less. It is not a question. as gentlemen put It. as to whether the Government will go into the coal business. The Government already owns all the coal on the island of Batan. save that which is covered by this old Spanish grant. and the purpose in acquiring this Spanish holding is to enable it to properly enjoy and utilize what we already have.