The Guardian And Evening Star, with winch is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 1928. BRITAIN’S “WASTING ASSET."

Hokitika Guardian, 27 January 1928, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with winch is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 1928. BRITAIN’S “WASTING ASSET."

A serious and well-reasoned appeal for the lietter utilization ol the luol ro.sourccs of Great Britain ill tlio development of a national electricity supply was rooonily made lioforo tlio llistituto of fuel by Sir Philip Dawson. M.P. It deserves widespread publicity now that it is appreciated in eednomie and indnstial circles that the coal resources of Great Britain are a wasting asset and that everything shukl be done, to prolong their life and increase their value. As Sir Philip pointed out, coal has been one oi our principal exports, but tlio export in 1926 was nearly 20 million tons lower than the average export for the years 1009 to 1910. The reason for this is to lie found in the i no leased use of oil on ships and for transport generally, the use of brown coal for tlio production of electrieity, the development of hydro-electric power and the conversion of steam into electrically-operated railways and the replacement- of steam ■power by electric, power in a large number of industries in what were our former export markets. Our adverse trade balance must be dealt with by decreasing our imports and increasing our exports. Exports can lie inoroasj ed by redueng selling prices, to do which we must improve methods of production by means of co-operation, combination and modernisation, imports can be decreased Tiv producing as far as possible raw materials and semiraw materials ourselves, instead of importing then). On the Continent of Europe and in the United States it is realised that modernisation of industry is synonymous with electrification, and this and the process of amalgamation and co-operation of similar productive interest has gone on far more rapidly than witn us. I se of electrieity is largely neglected in our coalmining, and steel industries, although many individual examples of most efficiently equipped and operated works exist. The eiectric consuming plant in British coal mines is 2.6 kilowatts per 1000 toils of coal extracted, against 6.5 kilowatts in Germany. As compared with the mines of the Pas de Calais’ our mines are only electrified to the extent of 1,3 per cent. The toted electricity generated in Great Britain in 1926 was 11,000 million units as compared with 22.000 million units in Germany. In Germany 40 per cent of the electricity is produced by cheap low grade brown coal. In this country large reserves of coal remain unworked owing to j>oor quality; they could be utilised for producing power at the pit’s mouth and this would enable coal resources now lost to 1m utilized. Much of tins coal could be subjected to treatment and produce oil, tne residue being used for generating electricity. Our mining industry cannot be made successful except by linking up the modern methods of power production and fuel utilisation. In this country much coke oven blast furnace gas, owing to lack of co-opera-tion and co-ordination, is still wasted by burning in the open air whilst none is wasted in Germany and the United States. The co-ordination of coal mining by-product plant and generation ■ of electricity would benefit the whole community. Hitherto. such an arrangement has been difficult, as the electric supply is an essential part of the scheme. No organisation Exists which would take the electricity produced and dispose of it. The creation of the Central Electricity Board. Sir Philip Dawson said, has now solved this difficulty. Until the passing of the 1926 Electricity Act practically all generating stations operated on their own account without any reference to mutual assistance or co-ordination, with the result that in 1926-26 the capacity of plant installed was 62 per cent, in excess of the combined maximum demand. By linking up, as pro-

vided by the 1026 Acl. spare plant will be reduced to 10 per cent., in addition to which, owing to the better operating conditions resulting from interworking, the cost of production will lie materially reduced. The benefits of coordination and co-operation such as are provided for under the 1026 Act are fully realised abroad.