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New Zealand Mail, Issue 1514, 7 March 1901, Page 50

The question of the future of steam navigation promises to be materia.l y altered as liquid fuel is more generally ud:pted. As indicating what progress has already been made in this direction, a London shipping journal gives the following interesting particulars:—“The steamship Cowrie lately made the voyage from JToetei, Borneo, to London, 9250 miles, using only liquid fuel. She employed only six stokers, instead of 16 with coal. The oil consumption was 22 tons per day, against 35 tons of coal, and as a ton of oil occupies 35 cubic feet, while a ton of coal demands 45 cubic feet, the saving in bunker space was considerable. In loading, the oil was put aboard at the rate of 300 tons per hour. 1 * Taking the exchange at 2s 6d, this would mean 18s 9d per ton, a price lower than -what coal could he bought at, while there is a smaller consumption and a less space occupied in stowage and saving in wages all going to favour the use of liquid fuel. The difficulty regarding speed has been overcome, and late advices show that better results have been obtained from liquid fuel than from ccai. It must not be forgotten that directly the demand for liquid fuel inci'eases, unless the production expa-nds at the same ratio, the prfce will move up, and hence shipowners are hardly likely to make wholesale conversions from coal burning to liquid fuel using steamers until the future supply is more definite The appointment of Mr Thos G-. Lilico, M.R.C.V.S., to be a temporary veterinary surgeon to the Government is gazetted. The Rev. John Collie', M.A. (Presbyterian Church of Otago and Southland) is gazetted an officiating minister under the Marriage Act.