Letters to the Editor
that The
[In we often cannot give space for long letters and that short ones are generally read with more attention. view of the length of many of the letters which we receive, we would remind correspondents length which we consider most suitable is about that of one of our paragraphs on " News of the Week."—Ed. SPECTATOR.]
left out of account. would be permitted in London.
greater than that of a good house coal. engines should not be solved in a decade or two by properly Whatever may be said about the comparative merits of organized and directed research ; in which case oil fuel the semi-coke, however, it can scarcely be contended that would no longer be essential for motor engines and the like.—
the " motor spirit " and the crude tar " oils " resulting I am, Sir, &c., WILLIAM A. BONE. from the low-temperature carbonization process are, weight London. for weight, superior to imported petrol and fuel oil respectively. But assuming, for our present argument, their market equality and no more than five shillings per ton as the total cost SLAVERY IN INDIAN STATES
of carbonizing the coal, I estimate that, in order to avoid loss on the process, the resulting semi-coke would Sia,—The Western World is protesting against the conditions have to fetch several shillings a ton more at the works of slavery and forced labour in Russia ; but it is totally than the cost of the coal carbonized thereat. Indeed, it seems ignorant of the existence of such conditions in the Indian
to me unlikely that the combined values at the works of the States. Mr. P. L. Chudgar, a member of the Indian States crude, motor spirit and fuel oil obtained would more than Peoples- Delegation to England, has recently written a book
pay the carbonizing costs. on "Indian. Princes Under British Protection " ; and therein Supposing, however, (i.) the financial difficulties to be so far overcome that the process could be relied upon to return a safe S per cent. on the capital invested in it, (ii.) (what is almost unthinkable) the use of raw coal for domestic purposes to be absolutely prohibited, and the whole of the 40,000,000 tons of raw coal now so used to be replaced by the smokeless low-temperature semi-coke—it may be instructive to enquire contracted and dissolved at the sweet will and pleasure of the what all this would involve, and how far the 810,000,000 gallons of motor spirit (value =£22.7 millions), the 255,000,000 gallons of kerosene oil (value... 5.177 millions). and 405,000,000 over-lord,
OIL FROM COAL gallons of fuel oil (value £8.65 millions) imported during
1929 could be replaced by home-brewed products.
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] To replace all the present raw coal now used domestically
Sia,—With regard to Mr. John Strachey's romantic scheme by low-temperature " semi-coke " would mean carbonizing of low-temperature carbonization for restoring prosperity about 60,000,000 tons of coal per annum in low-temperature to our distressed coalfields by replacing (as he says) " our plants. And when it is considered that, after nearly one poi-Anse of millions of pounds' worth of petrol produced in hundred and twenty years of uninterrupted successful develop- America, Venezuela and elsewhere " by a home-brewed pro- ment, the gas industry in Great Britain now carbonizes duct, and at the same time ensuring the community " a 5 only about 18,000,000 tons of coal per annum, the project or 6 per cent. yield" altogether on the a million pounds of appears colossal. Even to gain a " smokeless sky " would capital expenditure involved, may I be allowed to suggest a few anyone seriously contemplate adorning our landscape with considerations which possibly he may have overlooked ? huge new carbonizing plants, outnumbering by more than For years past the nation has been led to believe that three times the existing gas works and at a cost of (say) somehow or other all its coal troubles eventually will be solved possibly some £200,000,000 ? by low-temperature carbonization. It is, however, difficult Let us, however, suppose the thing to have been done, to discover sufficient grounds for so alluring a prospect ; and all the requisite new carbonization plants to be operating speaking personally, I have never been able to discern any successfully at full blast on the coalfields, a simple calculation likelihood of its fulfilment, though admittedly the process will show that, while the present " fuel oil " requirements would
may play a useful lesser r6le in national fuel economy. be over-met some three times, little more than about one-. For all practical purposes, the difference between the seventh of the present imported " motor spirit " would be net results of carbonizing a ton of suitable bituminous coal at forthcoming, unless indeed hydrogenation of the surplus what may be termed " high " and " low " temperatures, " fuel oil " were also undertaken on a huge scale.
Although a good " gas coke " is harder and less free- As, however, such criticism as the foregoing may not weigh
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