OIL FROM COAL
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR.—Mr. H. Powys Greenwood advocates for the distressed area in South Wales oil from coal plants as a means of relief. One wonders if he has any knowledge of the technical diffi- culties of oil from coal plants. The Institute of Fuel held a discussion on this subject last February, from which I abstract the following : " Pressure Hydrogenation of raw coal. The process was described as a brilliant technical achievement, but on the basis of 4,000 workers and miners employed the subsidy amounted to £375 per annum per man based on the present 8d. preference per gallon allowed."
It is still too early to give the ultimate cost until sufficient experience has been gained to permit the calculation of a proper depreciation factor, which must inevitably be great in high-pressure plant of this description. On a subsidy cost of over £7 per week per man employed, it shows the difficulties of hydrogenation of raw coal. 'Until the Billingham plant has been run a sufficient length of time for experience to enable the engineers and chemists to work the plant up to maximum efficiency the subsidy of over £7 per week per man on a further plant could not be justified when it is evident that such a subsidy could find employment for a larger number of men on other subsidised work. Surely a minimum of 3 men could be put on a job if over £7 per week subsidy was permissible..
Professor Bone is reported as having said on the question of low-temperature carbonisation :
There were so many serious obstacles to our rapid and eventually great extension of low temperature carbonisation that it could not be reckoned seriously as a solution of the problem."
In face of this evidence is it not too early to talk of oil from coal as the salvation of the distressed mining areas, and likely to lead to false hopes ?—Yours faithfully, C. M. Wnn'rAeza.
Weaponness, Manor Road, Cheadle Hulme. Cheshire.
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