§ Captain BOWYERasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that an insufficient supply of coal to a gas undertaking involves loss of pressure and quality; that this results in a diminished quantity of gas with reduced efficiency; that in order to make up for this quantities of imported and expensive American gas oil are used to enrich water gas by such undertakings as are in a position to take this step; and whether, as this involves still further increasing our dependency on imports, he will state what he can do to make this practice unnecessary?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANI am aware of the difficulties referred to in the first part of this question, and all possible steps are being taken to ensure a sufficiency of supplies to gas undertakings. At present it is not possible to avoid the use of imported gas oil, as the coal gas plant capacity of many large gas undertakings is such that, without the use of oil and water gas plant, it would be quite impossible for the demand to be met. Further, in the interests of coal conservation, it is important that full use should be made of water gas plant.