§ 22. Mr. Leaveyasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what research work the Fuel 951 Research Station has undertaken on the measurement and reduction of smoke from industrial chimneys.
§ Mr. H. NichollsThe Fuel Research Station of the Department of Scientific and industrial Research has devised two new types of instruments to simplify the measurement of smoke. One will enable a stoker in the boiler house, and the other a smoke inspector outside, to know when smoke darker than the legal limit is being produced. To reduce smoke, the Research Station has developed successful smoke eliminating devices for industrial hand-fired boilers. These not only reduce smoke to a minimum but also save fuel.
§ Mr. LeaveyI am obliged to my hon. Friend for that Answer, but can he say specifically that this work is directed to furthering the purposes of the Clean Air Act? Furthermore, if these devices were widely employed, could we expect fuel economies from their use?
§ Mr. NichollsThe work certainly helps considerably in reducing atmospheric pollution; there is no doubt about that. If these devices were fixed to all the boilers to which they could be fixed, there would be a saving of 1 million tons of coal a year.