104 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE. — 1919. 



Fuel Co7isumptions m the Iron and Steel and other Industries. 



During 1916 the Committee circulated a series of carefully drawn 

 questions among selected representative iron and steel works in Cleve- 

 land, Lincolnshire, Sheffield, and the Midlands generally, with a view 

 to collecting reliable data concerning the then fuel consumptions in blast 

 furnaces, steelworks, and rolling mills. This information has since been 

 analysed and embodied in a Report which, by arrangement with the 

 Council of the Iron and Steel Institute, is to form the basis of a full 

 day's discussion on the question of fuel economy at their forthcoming 

 Autumn Meeting in London on 18th September next. It will subse- 

 quently be published in extenso in their Journal, and thus be made 

 available to the industry at an early date. On the same occasion also, 

 a valuable Memorandum, written for the Committee by Mr. H. James 

 Yates, on ' Fuel Economy in Cupola Practice ' will be presented and 

 discussed. The Committee is thus actively co-operating with the Iron 

 and Steel Institute in promoting fuel economy in iron and steel works. 



The Committee has also been in touch with the Federation of British 

 Industries with regard to the setting up of an organisation for promoting 

 fuel economy in industrial establishments generally, and for helping 

 manufacturers by expert guidance on matters connected with the use 

 of coal. The question was referred to a special Committee of the 

 Federation, who reported to its Executive that it is in the province of 

 the Federation to initiate a scheme, which it hopes shortly to do. 



Electric Pouter Supply. 



The Committee has had under consideration the recent Reports of 

 various Government Committees upon the question of the reorgani- 

 sation of Public Electric Power Supplies in Great Britain, which is now 

 engaging the attention of Parliament. Whilst recognising the need of 

 such reorganisation, and generally approving (a) of the proposed division 

 of the country into areas in which the authorities dealing with the 

 generation and main distribution of electricity shall be co-ordinated, 

 and (b) of standardising in each of such areas the frequency and voltage 

 of the main transmission and distribution system, the Committee desires 

 to reserve any expressio'U of opinion as to the best means of carrying 

 out the needed reform until the Electricity Commissioners have been 

 appointed and their specific recommendations for the various areas have 

 been published. 



Future Standards of Public Gas Supplies. 



The Committee has had under consideration the Report issued on 

 29th January, 1919 (Parhamentary Paper, Cmd. 108) by the Fuel 

 Research Board in reply to the inquiry of the Board of Trade as to 

 ' What is the most suitable composition and qualfty of gas and the 

 minimum pressure at which it should be generally supplied, having 

 regard to the desirability of economy in the use of coal, the adequate 

 recovery of by-products, and the purposes for which gas is now used. ' 



Recognising that the said Report opened up important and far- 

 reaching questions of public policy with regard to the manufacture and 



