THE WRONG USE OF COAL.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.")
Sia,—There has been a great deal of talk about coal conserva- tion of late years, but few people remember that by the use of gas for heating purposes we might not only save something like 10,000,000 tons of coal per annum, but we should also at the same time save the atmosphere from smoke pollution. The heating value of gas, as Lord Moulton has pointed out, is four times greater than that of electricity with the same coal consumption; but who can estimate the saving to the nation if by the carbonization of coal in gasworks we could reduce the amount of smoke given off into the atmosphere ? When coal is destroyed in a furnace or range or grate the chemical values are lost, and the disintegration products in the form of soot and sulphuric acid cause enormous material damage and injury to health. The Chairman of the Manchester Corporation Air Pollution Board estimates the measurable damage in Man- chester and Salford at £1,000,000 annually, or about £1 per head of the population. At the British Association meetings held in Manchester in 1915 it was stated that the damage for London was estimated at £4,000,000 per annum. The real truth is that the loss is incapable of valuation. The smoke that causes the black fogs in winter and diminishes the duration and intensity of sunshine, apart from any material damage, may be the cause of a high disease- and death-rate. The infant mortality figures for the first quarter of this year seem to confirm this point. If it be true that the quantity of soot produced by
domestic fires is 6 per cent. of the coal consumed (and that is ft scientific estimate), then 2,000,000 tons of coal in the form of soot are not only wasted but inflict serious injury upon the whole country. With these circumstances in our minds it may be worth while to consider the more rational utilization of our coal supplies.—I am, Sir, &c., A,
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