WHY SEND TO NEWCASTLE FOR COALS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5147, 21 September 1877, Page 7

WHY SEND TO NEWCASTLE FOR COALS.

In a letter to the Oamaru Mail upon the encouragement of local industries of New Zealand, “Alpha” writes as follows:—I beg leave to endorse what you have said at different times on the above subject; and also what Mr. Sheehan's motion aims at in the Assembly. With regard to that part of his'motion which refers to the burning of New Zealand coal on the different' railways, I do not know whether he refers to the Grey Biver coal or to some of the lignites, but if to the latter it is desirable he should be in’;a position to show how;his object may be accomplished. What I wish to do now is to assist him am} others in that , matter, and the' remarks; I am 1 about to make , apply to stationary engines oh shore, but still the, same remarks' will apply .to all engines ' whether ashore or afloat,' so’far as'the generating of steam is concerned ; but hot equally so to locomotives, so far, as the application of that steam is concerned, inasmuch as locomotives must always have high-pressure ’steam, which is not, an absolute., necessity vjith Stationary of marine, engines.. Well, now suppose !we .have a boiler with . a fire-grate under it, or in it ; the grate is three feet long and .three feet wide, which is one square yard .in area... We will assume that it is as much as that boiler and grate can do to generate steam enough ' .to. keep , the engine going Up. to I its work, burning all Newcastle coal. Well, it is evident that Shag Point coal (lignite) wquid be of no use nnder those circumstances.; then all that is required to be. done ,is to. increase the:size of the:grate from. one. square yard in area to one square yard’, and six-tenths of a square yard, and then the work will;go on just as well : with- the Shag Point as with the Newcastle coal. -lOOlbs. of Newcastle coal is equal to 1,601b5. of Shag, Point; thus! the Shag Point being,. inferior six-tenths,: the grate requires tobe superior six-tenths, and then all is equalised. again. ; The Newcastle coal contains about 90 per cent.- of carbon, .while ’the Shag Point-only contains - about-60rand hence the difference,- Well, as to cost, take oneiton of Newcastle coal at 44 shillings per ton, and one and’ six-tenths of a ton of Shag Point coal (which means-32 cwt.) at 275. .per ton ; the cost of ,'the,former is 445., and that of the latter 435. 3d., a fraction in favor of New Zealand. If, the people of New Zealand would only employ ■ boilers, grates, aud engines of the best construction, they need not, carry their money out of New Zealand—and thus impoverish it—to buy coal, nor yet to buy the engines or boilers; as I know as good engines can be made in the .colony ,as at Home, the designs'for which can be had on the same terms as all other designs are had, and, the engines can be made either in Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, or Auckland. All that is required, is, to, adapt to another. If that' were done it would give an impetus to industry, apd prosperity would still claim a home in New, Zealand. I. append six classes of engines, five of, which are fuel-savers ; but the whole five are almost, if not entirely, un.known in (New Zealand. I can only hear of one fuel-saving engine in New Zealand, and that is in Oamaru,,,and is by no. means ,the best amongst the classes enumerated. The first, or class A, is the high-pressure or standard of, comparison.: '■

A wish to, -contribute my mite I to the good work must be my excuse- for trespassing on your space, which I hope I have not done unduly. .

Consumes Fuel i ! . Saves Class. per cent. per cent. A ... ■ 100 00 , i. 00000 B • 67 ■50,' 42-60 i C . ■ 45-00 .. ' 55-00 D 33-40 - 00-60 E* .. /. 32*50 i. 67-60 : F xo-oo oo-oo ,