§ 14. Mr. E. Dunnasked the President of the Board of Trade how many firms of foreign origin have been granted patent rights in this country to extract oil from coal; how many firms have exercised their patent rights by the establishment of works; to what countries patent rights have been granted in the years 1935, 1936 and 1937; and whether any objections have been raised by British firms in the like business and in the same years?
Mr. StanleyIn reply to the first part of the question, United Kingdom patents relating to the extraction of oil from coal have been granted in the last 24 years to 62 different persons and companies residing or carrying on business in foreign countries; as regards the third part of the question in 1935, 1936 and 1937 90 patents for such inventions were granted in this country to persons in Liechtenstein, 34 to Germany, 12 to France, 7 to Switzerland, 4 to the United States of America, 3 to Australia, and 2 to the United Kingdom. Information on the second and fourth parts of the question is not available.
§ 60. Mr. A. Jenkinsasked the Secretary for Mines whether he is now in a position to state whether the hydrogenation plant at Billingham is a commercial success or otherwise; and, if he is not in possession of the information, will he approach Imperial Chemical Industries, Limited, with a view to obtaining the information?
§ 67. Mr. Ellis Smithasked the Secretary for Mines whether he can make a statement on the Government proposals for extracting oil from coal; and when the Falmouth Committee intends to report?
§ 70. Sir Philip Dawsonasked the Secretary for Mines whether the plants proposed to be installed in the distressed areas are to be merely low-temperature 1949 carbonisation processes which cannot materially increase the demand from coal, or whether other processes such as we are now operating in Germany, and which directly or indirectly convert the whole of coal substance into liquid fuel, will be put down, or whether a combination of low-temperature carbonisation and of some other processes will be installed?
§ Captain CrookshankI cannot make any statement on this subject until the Falmouth Committee has reported, and I cannot yet say when that will be.
| — | Coal Consumed in | |||
| 1934. | 1935. | 1936. | 1937 (estimated). | |
| Thousand Tons. | ||||
| Hydrogenation … | Nil Plant under construction. | 257(a) | 425(a) | 450 |
| High Temperature Carbonisation. | 34,787 | 35,477 | 39,116 | 40,000 |
| Low Temperature Carbonisation. | 284 | 327(b) | 384(b) | 530 |