SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 
abused but still most popular open fire. The investigations have shown 
that the familiar characterization of the open fire as “ a contrivance in which 
92 to 95 per cent. of the potential value of the coal goes up the chimney and 
pollutes the atmosphere and only 5 to 8 per cent. is utilized in the room ” is- 
quite unsupported by the facts. On the other hand, it appears that the 
“ well” type of fireplace is open to criticism, since a great part of the radiant 
heat goes direct to the ceiling and upper walls. The Report states that if a 
smokeless form of fuel were available in large residential centres, the problem 
of permanently raising the efficiency of the open fire would be enormously 
simplified by the abolition of raw coal as a fuel. “The pleasant British 
practice of sitting round the open fire,” says the Report, “is amply justified ~ 
from the scientific point of view when we know that so much as one-fifth of 
the total heat of the coal is immediately available for absorption by the 
sitters. . . . . .” In addition to the directly measured radiant heat, 
the open fire is to be credited with heat conducted, radiated, and connected 
from the fireplace, chimney, and walls to an extent which is such that alto- 
gether some 60 to 70 per cent. of the heat of the coal is utilized in warming 
the room and the general fabric of the building. 
6. IMMEDIATE POSSIBILITIES IN COAL ECONOMY. 
In the Report of the British Fuel Research Board it is pointed out that 
the outstanding feature of the present situation is that whilst on the one 
hand there already exist many experts with a widespread knowledge of means 
whereby the extravagant methods of consuming coal which are widely preva- 
lent might be so improved as to reduce the consumption for industrial pur- 
poses by a very substantial amount, there is, on the other hand, still so much 
inertia on the part of the consumers that even the simplest and most obvious 
Steps towards improvement are not taken. It is probable that this inertia 
will be overcome by the increase in the cost of coal. Those who have been 
in a position to study the matter during the last 40 or 50 years have noted 
_ that during times of high prices there is a periodical revival of interest by 
consumers in the development of more economic methods for coal consump- 
tion. Conversely, during the recurring periods of cheapness there has 
inevitably been a general falling off of interest in economy. 
With the present and probable future high price of coal the consumer 
will be driven in the direction of increased economy, if he is to keep his place 
in industry. It is necessary, therefore, that the leaders of industries, whose 
future will be seriously affected by the increased cost of coal, should lay 
down a programme for its most efficient use, and that such programme should 
degl first with the prevention of the more reckless waste which invariably 
tends to develop unless there is continuous skilled control. While it is true 
that great economy may yet be effected in the consumption of coal by the 
development of such processes as low-temperature carbonization, the proba- 
_ bility of such developments does not relieve fuel consumers of their immediate 
duty of taking advantage of existing appliances and known methods of re- 
ducing their coal consumption. There is no doubt that in the majority of 
industrial undertakings a reduction of from 5 to 20 per cent. could be secured 
within a year at a relatively trifling expenditure of wages and small alterations 
of apparatus. The British Fuel Research Board mentions in its Report 
that in one case a saving of 30 per cent. of the fuel consumption was effected 
during one year merely by the application of more perfect control. _ 
548 
