§ Mr. JOYNSON-HICKSasked the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether, having regard to the importance of home-produced fuel as a means of rendering motor transport independent of imported petrol, he will give every encouragement to gas companies to continue and expand the practice of oil-scrubbing for benzol by all gas undertakings;
(2) whether he is aware that the quality of gas supplied in London during the War is due to the presence of incombustibles in the gas and not to the extraction of benzol, as suggested by certain authorities, and that many provincial gas undertakings who have fully extracted benzol during the War have nevertheless kept above the statutory standard of 500 B.T.U.; and whether he proposes to take any action in the matter?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANSome time ago my right hon. Friend asked the Fuel Research Board to advise upon the question of what is the most suitable quality and composition of gas and the minimum pressure at which it should generally be supplied, having regard to the desirability of economy in the use of coal, the adequate recovery of by-products, and the purposes for which gas is now used. Their Report has been received within the last day or two, but until the Board of Trade and other Departments concerned have had an opportunity of considering it, I am not prepared to express an opinion upon the matters referred to by my hon. Friend.