WEALTH IN BROWN COAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18026, 27 February 1922, Page 7

WEALTH IN BROWN COAL.

VICTORIA'S BRIGHT FUTURE. ANOTHER BELGIUM. Australian «.nd N.Z. Cable Association. (Red. 2-30 p.m.) LONDON, Feb. 24. Professor W. A. Bone, of the Imperial College of Science, lecturing to tho Royal Society of Arts on brown coals and lignites, emphasised their importance to the Empire. He dealt specially with the deposits at Morwell, Victoria, and in Germany, Canada, and Malay. The deposits at Morwell, he said, were not very different from dried Irish peat, although possessing somewhat higher carbon contents and greater calorific values.. While brown coal was a matter of indifference to Britain it was of the highest importance to Canada and Australia. The Canadian Government, recognising this, had appointed a Lignite Utilisation Reasearch Board to carry out investigations. The results would be vitally important to Western Canada, whero it was proposed to organise a great scheme for exploiting immense teritiary cretaceous coal resources in Alberta and Saskatcho wan. Great as the Canadian deposits were the Australian were simply astounding, notably at Morwell, Gippsland, and Cape Otway. Theso deposits were of phenomenal thiokness, without parallel in the world. A wonderful store of energy was awaiting the service of man. Professor Bone anticipated that within a few years not only would Melbourne derive the whole of its electric power from Morwell, but the State railways would be electrlcally worked from the same deposits. Mr. J. McWhae, Agent-General for Victoria, welcomed the lecturer's tribute to Morwell as coming from an expert. Cheap power and cheap fuel, be said, would bring population and prosperity, and Victoria would become another Belgium. Not only would Victoria's lands be peopled, but industries would be established capable of employing tens of thousands.