POWER PROBLEMS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 27 September 1928, Page 5

POWER PROBLEMS.

ECIONOtVHOAD USE O(F' FUEL. 'CLARBONiIiSIATION OF COAL. (British Official Wireiess.) RUGBY, Sept. 25. The world fuel conference now being 'held at Loudon is- in some ways the mast remarkable international gathering held here since the war. Forty-eight nations are represented by 1500 technical experts froml every' parti of the world AAihere industry on modern lines has developed. One feature of the conference, which underlies its importance over earlier gatherings of power ami fuel experts, is that each delegate represents some, authoritive (body in the country whence lie comes. In Ills opening: -address yesterday Sir Robert Horne said ihe thought a neiv era Avas 'beginning Avitb the more economical -use of coal. The pouring of raAA* coal into- furnaces and domestic grates Avas a tragedy from AA*hicli a way of escape 'had to be found. « His oavui -faith in the future was based on the development of low-temperature carbonisation. Fermature claims in the past had created scepticism, but papers to Ibe read at the conference would show that encouraging progress l was noAV -being made in the commercial operation of the various processes in Britain and elsewhere. Sir -Robert referred -proudly to the distillation of lignite in Germany and the use of residual fuel in connection Avith the generation of electricity, to the experiments on similar lines with ordinary coal in Britain, and to the groAving use of pulverised fuel ‘both for industrial and marine furnaces. There were cheers Avhen he suggested ?b was an inspiring picture to see representatives of nation® Avhich not long ago were inreriookeu in conflict non* gathered together to discover ways of mutual help.

OIL SUPPLIES. INCREASING* THEIR LIFE. NEW PROCESS REFERRED TO. int-orj Press Association —By Electric Telegraph Copyright.) —United Service). LONDON, Sept. 25. “Although the American estimate of 1926 suggested that the, world’s oil supplies would be exhausted in six hundred years, the new process oi ‘cracking,” whereby crude heavy oils are transferred into motor fuel, enables the supply to be sufficient foi three thousand years.” said the American Dr. Gustav Egloff, at the world power conference. He added that •‘cracking” was producing over live billion gallons oi petrol from petroleum. They could also ‘‘crack” coal tars, oil shales, asphalt and peat tars, vegetable oils, and fish oils, producing an average of fiity per cent f fuel ana several by-products. Even if motois, increasing a.t the present rate, reached seventy-five million, requiring billion gallons of’ fuel yearly, there Was no need to fear a shortage. He suggested that European countries should construct “cracking” plants and store at least one hundred million barrels of fuel for use in a national emergency to produce motor fuel and explosives.