54 PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS SECTION 1!. 



Other South American States appears to offer great possibilities, 

 as South African coal can be landed on the east coast of South 

 America at a much lower price than North American or Euro- 

 pean coal. The establishment of a direct service of steamships 

 between South Africa and Buenos Ayres, which is also very 

 desirable for other reasons, would greatly assist matters in this 

 direction, and is certainly worthy df the consideration of the 

 Union Government and the big shipping companies carrying on 

 trade w^ith South Africa. 



In regard to the available reserves of coal in the Union, 

 some of yon will remember that these were estimated in 191 1 

 at 56,200,000,000 tons, of which 36,000,000,000 tons fall to the 

 share of the Transvaal. Both estimates, which it is only fair 

 to state were admitted to be very approximate, are now gener- 

 ally conceded to have erred considerably on the conservative 

 side, and it is very desirable, both in order to settle this impor- 

 tant question and to obtain accurate information in regard to 

 the suitability of the various South African coals for the produc- 

 tion of coke and the manufacture of ammonium sulphate and 

 other by-products, that a detailed survey of our coal-fields be 

 made on the lines recommended by the Fuel Research Board of 

 Great Britain. 



CoKE^ Tar, and Coal By-Products. 



Most of the Natal coals and much of the coal found in the 

 Central Witbank district olf the Transvaal yield good serviceable 

 coke, well adapted to blast-furnace and foundry purposes, though 

 unfortunately, as a rule, rather high in sulphur. 



Until the middle of last year the only producers were the 

 Natal Navigation Collieries at Hatting Spruit and the South 

 African Coke Company at Vryheid. Recently, as a result of 

 the increased demand for coke created by the erection of blast- 

 furnaces for the production of iron at Pretoria and Vereeniging 

 and in Natal, the coke industry has undergone considerable ex- 

 pansion, and at least five other Natal companies will shortly 

 enter the market. 



None of the ovens at present in operation are designed for 

 the recovery of the valuable by-products contained in the volatile 

 matter of coal. The shortage and consequent liigh price of 

 coal-tar — for which there is a very considerable demand in 

 South Africa — due to the em'bargo placed on its export from the 

 United Kingdom, have, however, led to the formation of a com- 

 pany with a capital of £40,000, wdiich proposes to undertake 

 the production of coke, tar, ammonium sulphate and benzol at 

 Witbank.* 



A much more ambitious project is that of the Dundee 



* The tar production shown in the returns for 1913 came from a 

 plant erected at Witbank some years ago. The plant proved to be badly 

 designed and altogether unsatisfactory, and after being in operation for 

 some time it was closed down. 



