COAL ECONOMY. 
trial centres of the Commonwealth. When it is burnt, a large proportion 
of the heat-units, as well as highly valuable by-products, are wasted. If 
_ the problem of the economic utilization of fuel could be solved, a large pro- 
portion of the Newcastle coal would be carbonized in the vicinity of produc- 
tion, the volatile by-products would be available for motor fuels and other 
purposes, and the carbonized residue partly burned for the generation of 
electrical energy for long-distance and local distribution in New South Wales 
and partly transported as a smokeless fuel for domestic purposes. In Victoria, 
the efficient development of the immense deposits of brown coal, and the 
_ recovery of the by-products, should eventually render that State independent 
e 
of coal from New South Wales, and, possibly, to a large extent independent 
also of imported liquid fuels. : 
Those who, by knowledge, experience, and practice are best qualified to 
judge, hesitate to prophesy as to what the economic possibilities of combined 
carbonization and power-generating schemes will be, but they agree that 
the interests at stake are so great that the question ought to be thoroughly 
investigated and authoritatively answered. For the purpose of investigating 
the whole question, so far as British coals are concerned, in a comprehensive : 
and systematic manner, a Fuel Research Board was established in England 
about three years ago by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Re- 
search. A valuable and informative Report on the subject has just’ been 
issued by that Board, and it contains references to a number of matters of. 
great national, scientific, and commercial interest. The Board was con- 
stituted in 1917 at a time when the country’s fuel situation, particularly 
in the matter of the supply of fuel oil to the Navy, was giving rise to con- 
siderable anxiety. The Board, however, was not brought into existence 
to fulfil the temporary need incidental to the war, but was intended to 
exhaustively study the question of fuel resources and how they could be 
used on a more economical basis and with increased efficiency. 
About eighteen months ago the Commonwealth Institute of Science and 
Industry appointed an influential and representative committee to inquire 
into the whole subject. of Coal Economy in Australia and to make recom- 
mendations as to what research work should be initiated. At that time it 
was expected that the permanent Institute would have been established at 
an early date. No funds, were, however, available for the purposes of the 
Committee, and little progress has been made, though a considerable amount 
of preliminary information and data has been collected. The following 
are the names of the members of the Committee :— : ; 
CoMMONWEALTH Furn Economy ComMirrer. . 
Mr. V. G. Anderson .._ Messrs. Avery and Anderson, Research Chemists, Melbourne. : 
Mr. D. Avery .. .. Messrs. Avery and Anderson, Research Chemists, Melbourne. 
Mr. R. Boan .. -. ‘Testing Branch, Victorian Railways Department. 
Mr. C. F. Courtney -. Sulphide Corporation, New South Wales. 
Mr. Colin Fraser -. Broken Hill Associated Smelters. 
Mr. H. W. Gepp .. Electrolytic Zitic Company Ltd. 
Mr. E. P. Grove .. Messrs. Merz and’ McLennan, Melbourne. 
Mr. Essington Lewis .. -Broken Hill Pty. Ltd. reer Seite) at 
Mr. A. A. Macintosh, .. Metropolitan Gas‘Co., Melbourne = 
Mr. G. W. Turner .. Messrs. Howard Smith Ltd., Melbourne. 
SHES oo 
