The Wanganui Chronicle. " Nulla Dies Sine Linea." FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1917. TOWN GAS V. PETROL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 17111, 12 October 1917, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle. " Nulla Dies Sine Linea." FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1917. TOWN GAS V. PETROL.

With the Roumanian and Galician oilfields yielding the .Allies no petrol, with Russian oilfields prrducing an unknown but certainly negligible quantity, with the United States' stocks of motor fuel shrinking by .Uhirty-five millions a year by reason of consumption exceeding current production to that extent, and with Britain * own naval and military needs in regapd to motor fuel rising by leaps and bVtnds, it is not surprising to learn that the Ministry .;f Munitions recently issued a notice to the effect that no petrol would be available for holiday use. It is even considered probaWe that the private motorist in America may shortly b° rationed in common with his fellows in the United Kingdom. Indeed, «>me «x or eighc weeKs *go it was reported in England that Mr Bedford, Chairman i.ct the Petroleum Committee of the iCouncil, of Defence, had asked the United States Government to abolish joy-riding. While the number of motor vehicle-users of ail sorts in America has mcreas<d to something in thy neighbourhood of four millions, the power of the average vehicle employed has mci eased by nearly iOO per cent. Thus each needs more petrol. And America is pledged to launch a vast air fleet in the briefest time tossible. Since thdemands of the livhi&h. air services are increasing consumption enormously, each n*v engine requiring much more fuel than superseded types because it ■is much more powerful, it is impossible for the patriotic citizen of the Mother Country to use pttiol on private occasions even if he ©mid procure it. In

conjunction with the petrol restrictions, the Ministry of Munitions also issued an appeal t- secure the maximum production of coal-tar products. This involves the operation of al! plant at existing gasworks to the fullest extent possible. If the Ministry's needs are to be supplied tc the fullest extent possible, it follows that a vast amount of coal gas of a l^nd quite suitable for burning in an internal-combustion engine must be produced. Further, a market must be found for that town. gas beyond ordinary consumption. In the light of these facts, it may be of interest to colonial users of petroldriven vehicles to learn that an English motoring expert, Mr H. Massae Buist, advocates the saving of petrol by running on t.iwn gas. For years past, he says, practically all the engines used in motor vehicles have been " rvm in" at the makers' works on town gas. The general idea that aircraft engines are tested wholly cr petrol is, of course, widely erroneous. They are "run in" on town gas too. Only the final tests, tthich must reproduce absolutely the conditions of service in the air, are conducted on petrol In the course of an interesting article on the subject. Mr Buist says.—"What better eddC tional market, therefore, than that offered by riming motor vehicles, alike for utility and private service, or town gas? Theoretically, 273 cubic feet of it is equal to one gallon of petrol. Tn practice it is found that 250 cubic feet of gas will generally do the work of one gallon of petrol. The greater the demand for town gas for motoring the greater the production of benzole, toluol, and kindred substances which form the basis of high explosives necessary in ever-increasing quantity to win this campaign. If at any works town gas can be supplied at the pre-war price of Is per 1000 feet, as at the Gasometer at Sunderlaid, then the use of it is equivalent to petrol at 3d per gallon. The 'Commercial Motor,' which has done so much to develop the use of town gas on utility motor vehicles states that the wesent consumption of lit for this service is already at a rats which equals the saving of 50 mllioa gallons of petrol ti month. If we take the average war time price of coal gas about the country to be 3s 3d per 1000 feet, in practice that is equivalent to petrol at 10d per gallon." The question arises, could rot a proportionately substantial saving be effected in this Dominion by the adoption of the sam« expedient. Essential to a successful experiment is, of course, a supply of the necessary :oll.ipsible fabric containers. These, according to Mr Buick can be made easily and filled quickly' and he adds that one of the pioneer firms in this new industry is already turning out 50 holders a week for motor-vans, motor-omnibuses, and mo-tor-cars, about 10 pea- cent, being suitable fov privately owned vehicles.