The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 1912. OIL FUEL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 18, 4 January 1912, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 1912. OIL FUEL.

■ ~1. I -.o'lt! 'll Jl I ; -..('1 "d I_-r [' I nc practical use of oil as fuel is being further demonstrated in many ways. Lately the Canadian Pacific Railway Company have tried oil fuel instead of coal for the boilers of their Western Canadian steamship service, and .report complete success, better time having been kept and the number of boilers in service being, reduoed.\ ’ is not specially mentioned in tljp (report; 'bnt-gbbd' authorities. .-contend A that with proper appliances oil bah he,,b.urned'as ;eflicicnth .ns coal, so ".that t tlie ■ weight -of oil hurtled usually aihounts to frond 60 to;70 per.cont. ’Of the weight of coal The saving iii weight is probably not of much importance in coastal services where the trips arc relatively short, but it has boon an important factor in causing tlie Shell Transport Company to fit their oil-carrying steamers trading between London and the Far East with oil-burning appliances for the boilers. The point about the greater steam-rising, capac ity of oil-fired over coal-fired boilerr is easily explained, but does not al ways apply. It is stated that the amount of steam which a boiler will

raise is roughly proportional to the weight of coal which can be burned, and this is limited by the draught available. Hence on ships forced fraught is common. With oil firing the draught again usually limits the evaporation because it can draw in only a certain volume of air. This vol lime is, however, far in excess of chat drawn through a coal-fired grate and the limit of evaporation is therefore raised, because more oil can he burned. This fact is also taken advantage of in some electricity stations to enable overloads to ho carried by burning an auxiliary oil supply when required. These facts are interesting to Taranaki people just now, with the great possibilities of a considerable output from the oilfields of this province.

THE GOVERNMENT OF CHINA. A Japanese in London reputedly well versed in Chinese history, tells a correspondent that he docs not think there is good ground for the feelingprevalent in England that a republic is an almost impossible institution for a country ruled like China by a succession of despotisms. Despite M ngs and Manohus, he says, China is, so far as the great masses of the people are concerned, a very democratic country. Its merchants have had their guilds from time immemorial, its landed gentry if they want a thing done promptly organise themselves into associations and elect them leaders, and the door of promotion, in spite of the prevalent '•squeeze ” is open to merit even in the humblest classes. Indeed, a people steeped in Confucianism, which makes virtue the only just title to power, could ) ot be other than democratic. It was admitted that there arc enormou practical difficulties in the vay of to--

.•stahlishinout of a ropuoHc*. 1 here are four million Mauchus to 1 e somehow disposed of, including the Manoliu soldiery, and a system oi. "uvon;mont 2d() years old is not to be l-'.P'd down all at once without a gfat deal of dangerous confusion. But ii is not the people who will make the difficulties, rather they \ill ’n I the difficulties made for them. So at least this student of Chinese aflans believes.