UTILISING COAL SLACK.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 276, 20 November 1926, Page 19

UTILISING COAL SLACK.

MOTOR SPIRIT A2CD BRIQUETTES. A somewhat important matter was referred to by Colonel W. D. Holgate in his address at the annual meeting of the Coal Mineowners' Association. He said it was anticipated that when the Arapuni electrical scheme was completed it would seriously affect the sale of slack coal in the North, as the introduction of electricity had already done in the South. They knew that briquettes could be made from coal slack, but there was a doubt whether that could be done to profit. The only thing promising at present was a process known as low distillation. Some IS months ago 70 tons of Waikato slack were shipped to Belgium by an Auckland firm. Colonel Holgate was given to understand that coal was subjected to low-distillation process, and the residue made into briquettes, which were returned to New Zealand and tested on the railways. At the same time Sir Richard Redmayne in England was appointed to investigate and report. That report was in the hands of the Government, but was not at present available for publication, neither was the report ou the tests made in burning the coal on the Government railways. It was, however, known that the* briquettes used on the LytteltonChristchurch railway line w■•:•". highly satisfactory and gave lit!..- or no smoke. Colonel Holgate added that he was under the impression that something satisfactory out of that test might eventuate for the benefit of the coal mining industry of New Zealand.