PRODUCER GAS

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 51, 28 August 1940, Page 11

PRODUCER GAS

PETROL SUBSTITUTE

STEPS BY GOVERNMENT

POLICY OUTLINED

The Government's awareness of the possible effect of the war upon the supply of motor spirit was indicated today in a statement made by the Minister of Supply (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan) dealing with the application of producer gas for automotive purposes.

Mr. Sullivan said that the national importance of substitutes for motor spirit was fully appreciated by the Government and before the outbreak of hostilities a committee was set up to investigate the problem. The committee reported that of all the various alternative fuels which might be used for the purpose, producer gas offered the best possibilities, having regard to the conditions obtaining in this minion.----"Soon after the outbreak of war a technical committee, consisting of representatives of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, the Transport Department, and the Public Works Department, was set up to investigate producer gas problems," the Minister said. "This committee has done particularly good work, and the plans of a plant which has been designed to meet the present position of emergency, together with a draft of a brochure, have now been made available to me. The brochure gives not only general information on producer gas, but also a technical description of the committee's emergency plant. This publication should be available from the Government Printer in about two weeks. I realise that in this country producer gas is largely an unknown quantity, and I am also arranging for the technical committee to prepare a service manual giving details of the operation and servicing of the emergency plant. PROTECTION OF PUBLIC. "While the Government wishes to place no obstacles in the way of the development of gas producers in this country, I feel that the public must receive a certain amount of protection and steps should be taken to ensure that any person buying a gas producer plant will be assured that he is getting a reasonably satisfactory job. With this object in view I have arranged that the technical committee shall investigate the matter of drawing up provisions for a reasonable performance test which all producer gas plants will be required to satisfy before their manufacture can be undertaken. Until these .investigations are finished'-and a standard arrived at, it will not be possible to test the plants, but any person desiring further information on this subject should communicate with the Oil Fuel Controller. "In order that the public may be assured as far as possible of a good standard of workmanship, I feel that some form of control should also be exercised on the manufacture of these | plants, and I am therefore arranging for this to be done under the war emergency legislation. Engineering organisations which are desirous of manufacturing producer ■ gas-• plants should get in touch with the Factory Controller, who will give them full details of the procedure to be followed." The Minister added that he realised that the motor industry had been affected by the petrol restrictions, and he had instructed the Factory Controller that, in dealing with- applications, every consideration should be given to those firms whose businesses had been affected by the restrictions. TWO SAFEGUARDS. "To sum up as regards design and production,"'said Mr. Sullivan, "in the first place it will be necessary for the plant to have passed the test prej scribed by the technical committee, and in the second place, the firm proposing to manufacture will have to be authorised by the Factory Controller. In addition, I have instructed the Oil Fuel Controller to undertake work of an educational nature, ■ and any persons who may be interested are. advised to get in touch with him." The Minister said that close touch was being maintained with both England and Australia in regard to the production of suitable fuels.

"The Government feels," concluded Mr. Sullivan, "that under present circumstances it is in the national interest that everything possible should be done to encourage the use of gas producers so that a proportion at any rate of our vehicles may operate on locallyproduced fuel, and the question of the mileage tax on vehicles operating on producer gas is now being considered •*by the Government."