OIL FROM COAL
[To the Editor of the SrEcraToa..] SIR,—Apparently Mr. John Strachey considered himself justified in advocating, in your columns, the expenditure of x millions of public money on processes whose technical merits he now confesses himself to be incapable of judging ; but I cannot allow him to misrepresent my criticisms upon his fantastic scheme, as he has done in your issue of the 27th ult. For nowhere in my previous letter did I discuss (as he says) "the demerits of certain particular, low-temperature carboniza- tion processes " ; I neither mentioned, nor referred to, any particular process, but spoke only . of low-temperature car- bonization in . general. Nor yet did I anywhere base an argument on the supposition (as he says) "that if all the coal produced in this country were pre-treated, the present fuel oil requirements would be exceeded " ; I only- hypothecated the replacement of all the present raw coal now used domesti- cally by low-temperature semi-coke, ''-which would mean carbonizing about 00 million tons of coal per annum in low- temperature plants." And, lastly, so far from my suggesting that nothing should be done, I put forward a definite alternative proposal for action on other and more promising lines.
In conclusion-, may I venture to cOmmend to your readers what was said in-the coneluding sentenees of my recent lecture to the London Section of the Society of Chemical Industry upon "The Chemical Constitution of Coal," • in advocating much more fundamental research upon the problems 'thereof, namely : "A great opportunity now lies at our door, which, if grasped, will provide a much-needed scientific basis for the future use of coal as an 'organic raw material, and 'so promote a return of prosperity to our coalfields. • For, speaking from thirty years' experience in coal research' and elose-obser- vation of technical and commercial possibilities, I canncit help feeling that had but a tithe of the money expended upon ' low- -tenaperature earbonization and the • like been devoted' to 'fundamental researches upon coals and their industrial-applica- tions, our country would not be in its present-unhappy predica- . _ .
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