5 
1917-18.] Opening Address by the President. 
Considering the methods generally adopted in pre-war times by 
industrial bodies in this country, the success of the Advisory Council in 
establishing research associations is remarkable. Difficulties are en- 
countered which seem to retard or prevent combination. In some instances, 
while the leading firms fully appreciate the value of research and are 
willing to co-operate, the remaining firms in the industry are unwilling 
to combine. This attitude may change as the advantages of co-operation 
are more thoroughly realised. 
One of the most important developments arising from the administra- 
tion of the Advisory Council is the appointment of a Fuel Research 
Board under the directorship of Sir George Beil by, F.R.S., and with 
Professor Bone, F.R.S., as consultant. The problems connected with coal 
and its uses have been investigated for some time by research workers. 
In his address to the Chemical Section of the British Association in 1915, 
Professor Bone called attention to the national importance of a more 
adequate scientific control of fuel consumption and the utilisation of coal. 
He showed how economies could be made in various industries. He urged 
the establishment of a central organisation by the State to deal with 
these problems, an ideal which has been quickly realised. 
From the report just issued it appears that the Fuel Research Board 
pursue two main lines of inquiry : “ first, a survey and classification of 
the coal seams in the various mining districts by means of chemical and 
physical tests in the laboratory; and, second, an investigation of the 
practical problems which must be solved if any large proportion of the 
raw coal at present burned in its natural state is to be replaced by the 
various forms of fuel obtainable from coal by carbonisation and gasifica- 
tion processes.” These inquiries open up a wide range of economic 
problems, including, among others, smokeless fuel for domestic purposes, 
fuel oil for the navy, supplies of gas and electric power. A laboratory 
apparatus has already been devised which, by direct weighing and measure- 
ment, gives the yields of gas, oil, water, and carbonaceous residue which 
result from carbonisation at any definite temperature. But before formu- 
lating any scheme for the replacement of raw coal by manufactured fuel, 
experiments must be carried out on a comprehensive scale. The aim of 
these experiments will be “ to determine whether an economical and 
efficient apparatus can be devised for the carbonisation of coal at low 
temperatures, and whether, by the use of such an apparatus for the 
carbonisation of properly selected coals, products will be obtained of a 
collective value greater than that of the original coal plus the cost of 
carbonisation and handling.” 
