WASTED OIL AND BRAINS.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 12018, 8 March 1920, Page 5

WASTED OIL AND BRAINS.

London, Nov 19 “The Germans ! Good Heavens ! I know Germany, and, man for man, you are bettor than they are in geology, chemistry, and engineering in just as great a degree as you proved to be in fighting.” This was the dictum of Rear-Admiral Philip Dumas at a meeting of the Institute of Petroleum Technologists. He was appealing for research work for the development of oil fuel with particular reference to national needs in time of war. “Save the oil,” he said. “If for nothing else, we shall require it for the wars of the future, which will come, despite the late array of geniuses in Paris to make future wars impossible. Do pleas; bear in mind that the experts give all existing

fields a life of from 40 to 50 rears at most, and although we know that experts are d —d liars, yet there must be a period to the present wildly extravagant use of oil fuel. This war has been largely waged on oil. The next one will be nearly wholly so, and Bismarck’s dictum of ‘blood and iron’ brought up to date would read ‘blood and oil,’ lam given to understand that big experiments are still in the hands of Germans and other foreigners. To h— with the Germans I Endow and employ young Englishmen—-or, as it’s the ease of an engine, perhaps I had better say Scotsmen—to devise and develop this great want of the world.” Admiral Dumas pointed to the appalling waste of oil on every hand. Naval men, airmen, engineers and motorists all used oil as if the supply were inexhaustible. Twenty times as much as you produce will be required presently. “If anything is certain it is that deep thought must shortly bo given as to the possible affording or retention at all of great and. costly battleships costing £6,000,000 or more each, and whether smaller vessels of the submersible type for use on sea or land may not shortly take their place. It would ] be easy to design such a type with the advent of the internal combustion engine, and I shall be astonished if we don’t see them before long. Press the matter, and at any rate save our present wild expenditure of oil.”