COAL RESEARCH

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 8, 4 October 1927, Page 8

COAL RESEARCH

UTILISATION OF BYPRODUCTS

IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATIONS APPROVED BY CABINET Important recommendations submitted by the Fuel Research Committee regarding research work on New Zealand coal were approved yesterday by Cabinet. The proposals were fully discussed at a recent meeting of the Fuel Research Committee, which was attended by Professor 11. G. Denham, Colonel \V. D Holgate, Messrs. A. H. Kintbell (secretary to the Mines Department), H. Vickerman, R. Lee, and — Flavell (Westport C’oal Company). Colonel Holgate was unanimously elected chairman of the committee. Mr. G. Shirtcliffe (chairman of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research), Dr. E. Marsden (Secretary of the Department of Scientific and industrial Research); and Dr. Maclaurin (head of the Dominion Laboratory) also attended the meeting.

The following resolutions were unanimously agreed to by the committee: — "That a general levy be made by the Coal Mine Owners’ Association to provide funds for. setting up a' laboratory and staff, the amount raised, £lOOO, to be subsidised by the Government from the vote for research, making £2OOO per annum in all for a period of three years.

“That the research work of the laboratories be controlled through a committee consisting of three representatives of the Coal Owners’ Association, together with three nominees of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research The committee is to submit quarterly progress reports to the Research Council and the Coal Mine Owners’ Association.”

The following programme of work is to be undertaken, as soon as the necessary arrangements can be madeSteps are to be taken to obtain and collate all information as to coal utilisation processes which have been tried in other countries, together with physical and chemical properties of New Zealand coal, and to place this information at the disposal of the committee. A survey of New Zealand coals is to be made with the object of determining in respect of each coal the recoverable values of by-products, and the possibilities of utilising each coal most economically for fuel purposes. The survey is to be a continuation of the work already done by Dr. Maclaurin at the Dominion Laboratory and Professor Denham at Canterbury College.

The work of coal investigation being carried on at Canterbury College by Mr. Hickson as to the coking and oil properties of New Zealand coal and blends of New Zealand coal, is to be completed.

After the data has been accumulated from coking tests and tests on a' small scale with the-Ferscher retort, the committee will be in a position to advise whether large scale tests on New Zealand coals are worth trying out in England or elsewhere.

The mines are to be sampled for dust and the samples are to be subjected to physical analysis and ash determination, and a report is to be prepared on each mine as to dust condition.