G.—ENGINEERING 159 
character. The price of electric energy was taken at 0-5 pence per unit, 
and at that figure the electric power came out at little less than the cost 
of present methods. Since then locomotive designers have not been 
idle, and coal consumption has been reduced in the latest patterns, so that 
a substantial reduction on the halfpenny will be required. This should 
be quite possible, for the price that was assumed was on the safe side and 
could be reduced to-day, since distribution costs in bulk to the railway 
line will be less than to individual householders, and the further reduc- 
tions indicated in this paper will bring the question to a practical proposi- 
tion. ‘The complete electrification was estimated to require a consump- 
tion of 5,400 million units, but probably a good many branch lines would 
not be electrified, and a total of 4,000 million may suffice. It is not a great 
addition to the total load, which was close on 16,000 millions last year, 
but it is a desirable increase, as it will have a good load factor and can be 
easily provided, for railways and population go together. 
There are signs that a low price will bring in large consumers in the 
metallurgical industries. The use of electric furnaces is rapidly increasing, 
and below 0-5 pence the private plant has little chance of competing, if 
complete reliability is to be ensured. The possible magnitude of this 
load it would be futile to estimate, but it will be considerable and will 
have an excellent load factor. 
From the foregoing it is evident that the electric supply industry can 
be put on the road to a substantial and even to a great increase, and that 
the new business will materially improve the load factor and reduce costs 
_ of distribution. The use of cheap fuel and an alleviation of the burden 
_ of rates will give the initial stimulus that is needed, and the great increase 
will automatically recoup the apparent loss to the rate fund of the local 
- authorities. 
These prospective new consumers will reduce the amount of waste 
coal that will be available, for house coal and railway coal are high-grade 
fuel, from which a good supply of low-grade coal has been screened off. 
If they are taken out of the class of raw coal consumers, and put into the 
class which uses electricity, the effect will be twofold. But there is little 
chance of a wholesale complete electrification of dwelling-houses, and a 
complete cessation of the use of raw coal for any purpose. And under 
most circumstances it will be cheaper to use the coal at the pits than to 
carry it to supply stations at a distance, even though some of the coal is 
of good quality. There are many possibilities in the future, such as 
petrol and tar extraction and gas production, but for all of them it is 
preferable to avoid carriage of raw coal, so the pit-head electric station 
will always be in the right place, able to work in with the other processes, 
so long as coal continues to be our main source of power, and that is a 
long time. 
CONCLUSION. 
To sum up the main theme, the grid and the branch lines should 
Operate not only as distributors of power to the consumer, wherever he 
may live, but also as collectors of power wherever it may be obtained, 
and like all successful middlemen, it should buy in the cheapest market 
and put the consumer into connection with the nearest producer, whether 
