LOW TEMPERATURE CARBONIZATION [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,--In
view of certain recent happenings and of the urgent importance of more scientific and economical methods for the use of coal in Great Britain, I suggest that it is high time there was formed an Institution or Association of Fuel Technology and Low Temperature Carbonization, and that a preliminary conference be held in London of the very large number of people interested in the matter.
The general public has been hoodwinked long enough over this question of the proper utilization of our valuable coal resources, especially the home production of oils and also of free burning smokeless fuel, and after all our pioneer work we are now in dabger of being left behind by the remarkable adviinees in Germany on the subject, which are in many cases equally applicable to bituminous coal as well as to the German brown coals.
I have myself the details of over 120 processes for the scientific treatment of raw fuel, and few people realize the amazing amount of work that has been done on this matter in Great Britain, the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Holland, Scandinavia, Austria and Japan, while important investigations are now to commence in Spain, Chile, and Russia, the Soviet Government, for example, having established an important thermo-technical institute in Moscow. The day for burning valuable raw coal as mere fuel is passing fast, and the hundreds of influential people in Great Britain interested, whether technically or otherwise, should unite together without any further delay, especially as our country with. its rich bitu- minous coal, relatively small distances of travel, and open fires is the most suitable in the world for the application of
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