THE COAL ERA

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 41, 17 August 1921, Page 12

THE COAL ERA

ARE WE NEAR THE END?

ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF

POWER

The present coal difficulty, as far as on? is able to judgo at tha present moment, is likely to leave an enduring mark on British industry and to cut deep into the prosperity of the country (says a writer in the Manchester Guardian) Before the war, cheap coal was .one of the factors which enabled ouv manufactures to be carried on under conditions which enabled them mare than to hold' their own in. the markets of tho world. It was the export of coal which helped us to maintain the proper balance of our exports against our. imports. It ,was because coal was so cheap that the old-fashioned windmills were allowed to vanish, that' our water-mills became few and far between, and that no attempt was seriously niado to utiliseNthe .various natural forces other than coal from which power could be obtained. For though the internal combustion principle / had been applied to the motofengine, the car had not yet become "a serious factor in business undertakings, except for paseonger services and 1 for relatively short transport of j goods. Oil firing had indeed been applied to certain warships. But to meet military necessities steps are made which cannot be justified on economic grounds. And economic grounds, sooner ,qr lato.r, must be .considered in every commercial enterprise The war .brought its changes in the 'situation. labour became dear and difficult to obtain. The same might be said of coal. Vaat numbers of motor vehicles came into existence to serve the armies. When the Armistice was reached many , of these .vehicles became available for commercial purposes. There was conges-,-tion on the railways, labour troubles, in- . creased charges. The motor-car and the motor-lorry were brought into more extended iise. Tho , question now arises, when a second rise in passenger fares has taken place, and when tho railways are in difficulties about their coal supply, as to how far the motor will cut into the railways' business. Had Jiot the present coal difficulty arisen, it :s possible that traffic would have long continued in its old "groove, i But when once* forcibly disturbed we seHom return to our old habits, unless, indefed,' they are obviously much more convenient than tlje modern alternative 1. It was announced 'the. other day that the amount for a single month to bo made up by the' Government to tho railway companies exceeded nine millions sterling. Decontrol of railways is to take place in a few weeks. • The managements may take a leaf out of the- Post Office book and diminish facilities whilst again raising fares. But they have no Government monopoly. Passengers and goods will not pay railway fares and rates if thoy can get transported substantially cheaper, even if it be at a slower rate. Besides, with labour so costly as at present, tho motor-lorry ,has the advantage over the railway truck, inasmuch as it transports the, load from door to door 'with a single 'handling. No doubt the railway companies are beginning to fit their locomotives for oil-burning, and to some, extent-this process may relieve them from anxieties' as. to' their supplies of fuel. But it can never get over the various difficulties which I have enumerated. The motor, with its internal combustion engine, has already made a deep cut in tho railway engine's prospects. .

' , :_;'- OIL EUBL, : As regards shipping the coal difficulty has had effects of similar importance. The fitting'of the Aquitania and of the Olympic for oil fuel was a serious and costly business, undertaken only after, much thought, and carried out with deliberation. Even so short a while ago it seemed to be' the- idea, that only the cream of passenger ships was entitled to the luxury, of abpUshing coal, with its dirt and dust and ira myriads of toiling stokers Now wo are told that cargo vessels, unable, to get their usual bunkers, are being withdrawn for a few days and fitted to burn oil fuel so as to continue their activity in spite of the coal trade. For public utility services and for nri-: vate manufacturers boilers are being hurridly fitted for oil-burning. The question is asked whether they will go back to ooal when the trade is restored once more to 'activity. The answer does not depend on the question of how far the oil supplies of the world will answer the callupon them without making the price prohibitive To my thinking, it will be found that commercial men have had a warning, and that they will never again allow themselves to be so entirely dependent on coal as they have been in the era of steam. Alternative sources of power will be exploited. The' waterpower of our rivers will be utilised; possibly even the tides will bo utilised. The developement of motor ships using heavy oils in internal combustion engines, and doing without steam and stokera altogether, will be stimulated, and altogether, new sources of power will be tamed to account. ' . ■ • [ ' , ' ; INDUSTRIAL ALCOHOL. The haunting fear of the exhaustion of the world's oil supplies has caused that eminent scientist, Sir Charles Bedford, to turn his attention towards the creation or a source of supply for power which shall prove practically inexhaustible He sought for something which should be cheap and available in inexhaustible measure. Vegetable substances of a non-edible character seemed to be the answer to hia inquiries, . and he has succeeded in making alcohol suitable for industrial purposes from that' rice straw which is so abundant in tropical countries. Under a properly-developed organisation the ricefields may provide far greater sources of power than the oil wells, and that Without any risk of exhaustion with its consequent effect on the question of prices. If these experiments, which are bchi£ conducted for the Burma Oil Company by Sir Charles Bedford, achieve a full measure of success we may see the beEfinninfr of the end of the coal era and the rapid extension of the in-ternal-combustion engine. The effect of such a change on the employment of working men in Britain and on the relation between our imports and exports may bo far-reaching indeed. v