The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14. 1911.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3348, 14 October 1911, Page 6

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14. 1911.

According to Sir William Ramsay, the exhaustion of Britain’s A Scientist’s coal supply will take Warning. place within the comparatively short period of 175 years. This alarming prophecy lie made when delivering his presidential address to the British Association recently. “We have in the British Isles,” lie said, “a very limited supply of coal. For the last forty years the rate at which this supply is being exhausted has been steadily increasing.” He continued: “In 1870 no fewer than 110 million tons were mined in Great Britain, and the amount has increased by three and a third million tons a yearThe available quantity of coal in the proved coalfields is very nearly 100,000 million tons. It is easy to calculate that if the rate of working increases as it is doing our coal will be completely exhausted in 175 years. Between 1905 and 1907 the amount of coal raised in the United Kingdom increased freon 236 to 268 million tons, equal to six tons per head of the population, against three and a half tons in Belgium, two and a- lialf tons in Germany, and one tou in France. Our commercial supremacy and our power of competing with other European nations are obviously governed, so far as we can see, by the relative price of coal; and when our prices rise, owing to the approaching exhaustion of our supplies, we may lock fonvard to the near approach of famine and misery.” It was the opinion of Sir William Ramsay that if the national life is to be prolonged, we must be more economical in the use of coal. As to what may be done, lie said we could economise by the substitution of turbine engines for reciprocating engines; by the further replacement of turbines by gas engines, raising the economy to 30 per cent of the total energy available in the coal; by creating the power at the pithead and distributing it electiically. Economy can also be effected in replacing “beehive” coke ovens by recovery ovens ; this is rapidly being done. With reference to the domestic fire problem, this is one which claims instant attention. “We are,” he says, “still utterly wasteful in our consumption of fuel in domestic fires. There is probably no single remedy applicable ; but the intro duction of central beating, of gas fires, and of grates which permit of better utilisation of fuel will all play a part in economising our coal." Sir Wm. Ramsay concluded bis remarks by stating that it is open to argument whether it might not be wise to hasten the time when smoke is no more by imposing a sixpenny fine for each offence; an instantaneous photograph could easily prove the offence to have been committed ; and the imposition of the fine might, be delayed uintil three warnings had been given by the police.