HC Deb 24 June 1925 vol 185 cc1548-9W
Mr. CLARRY

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state approximately the tonnage of coal replaced each year from 1919 to date by the use of fuel oil in home industries, British shipping, foreign industries, and foreign shipping?

Sir B. CHADWICK

, in pursuance of his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 27th May, 1925; col. 1403], supplied the following statement:

The following tables show (a) Fuel Oil: quantities imported, re-exported, and shipped for the use of steamers in the foreign trade; estimated quantities produced in the United Kingdom from imported crude petroleum and native oils; quantities exported; and estimated quantities available for use in the United Kingdom; and (b) Coal: quantities raised, exported, and shipped for the use of steamers in the foreign trade, and quantities available for domestic and industrial uses in the United Kingdom, for coastwise bunkers, etc. The figures cover the years 1919 to 1924, and the particulars available for 1913 are also given for the purposes of comparison.

Fuel oil has been taken at 250 gallons to the ton. It is estimated that, for steam-raising purposes, two tons of fuel oil would be equivalent to three tons of coal, but no such general formula can be given in the case of oil used in internal-combustion engines, the coal equivalent varying with different fuels and different types of engines. Other causes, however, besides the competition of oil have affected the consumption of coal in the

Fuel Oil.
— Imports. Re-exports. Shipped for use of Steamers in the Foreign Trade. Estimates of British Production from Imported Crude Petroleum and Native Oils. British Exports. Available for use in United Kingdom
Thousand tons. Thousand tons. Thousand tons. Thousand tons. Thousand tons. Thousand tons.
1913 … 380.2 4.7 Not recorded. 3.8* Not recorded. Cannot be stated.
19191 … 1,061.6 15.7 81.8
1920 … 1,391.1 23.0 75.5 3.1
1921 … 2,125.1 1.7 315.0 3.1
1922 … 1,570.5 24.2 565.3 634.1 151.8 1,463.3
1923 … 1,455.0 5.6 887.4 944.0 171.7 1,334.3
1924 … 1,542.3 16.6 1,007.9 1,318.8 223.6 1,613.0
* Does not include any estimate of British production from native oils.

Coal.
— Coal raised. Exports Foreign Trade Bunkers. Available for Domestic and Industrial uses, Coastwise Bunkers, &c.
Thousand tons. Thousand tons. Thousand tons. Thousand tons.
1913 … … … 287,430 73,400 21,024 193,006
1919 … … … 229,780 35,250 12,005 182,525
1920 … … … 229,532 24,932 13,840 190,760
1921 … … … 163,251* 24,661 10,926 131,098§
1922 … … … 249,607† 64,198 18,259 167,150
1923 … … … 276,001† 79,459‡ 18,158 178,384
1924 … … … 267,118† 61,651‡ 17,689 187,778
* Year of coal stoppage. † Excluding Ireland. ‡ Including exports to Irish Free State from 1st April, 1923:—1923,1,485,000 tons; 1924, 2,472,000 tons; § Including imports 3,434,000 tons.