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Mr. GINNELL
asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the total tonnage and value of charcoal iron imported from Sweden in each of the four last years and the total for that period; whether, having regard to the abundance
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of British ore, the necessity for this expenditure is due to any cause but the failure to use a pure charcoal fuel instead of coal or coke; whether he is aware that in converting a ton of peat densified by the Zohrab process into 8 cwt. of charcoal a much larger amount of sulphate of ammonia is obtained than from a ton of coal, and also a much larger amount of gas for lighting, heating, or power purposes; whether he is aware that the plant required for this is less expensive than that for coal, and that both densified peat and peat charcoal are smokeless; and, having regard to the needless outlay for charcoal iron and to the value of a substitute for coal as a precaution against strikes, whether the Board will give attention to the development of peat bogs and the utilisation of bog products?