Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-12-17
Electricity for All Wants
From our Coal Supply.

"A proposition laid before the Institu
ton of Electrical Engineers in Londor
IN the inaugural address Of their new
president, S. q. Ferranti, is sum.
married. by the society as follows.
That all the coal we have to burr
should be turned into electricity ant
that all our wants for no matter VIVA
purpose should be filled by using cleo
tricity.
In other words. that we should con.
vert our coal wholesale at a few cen
tres only and retail it in the form O.
Ieiectrlcity to all present users Of Goa
lover the whole country.
by the above means we should save
the oy-products of the coal now vast.
cd and which are of enormous value.
once the above policy can be carried
out we should
l. Save 90,000.OOO tons of the Goa
We now burn at home.
:. should by intensive cultivation
using the fertilizer byproduct of the
'''"' ne aNle to grow on our present
acreage all our food requirements
"i.iiout importation from auioAu.
| .. The country would be able on
homegrown produce to support n
larger and healthier population at y
higher standard of living by means OF
what we now waste.
| 4. We should be able 70 RIM o,r
motors on the by-product oil and make
good roads with the tar that we should
save.
5. Should no longer require to ex-
port our capital in the form of coal
10 pay portion of our food bill. This
together with the saving at home
would make our coal measures last
twice as long as at present.
o. We should be more secure from
interference from abroad and more go.
cure IN case of war
IN the course of his address. which
was delivered on November 10. Mr.. do
Ferranti said:
IaRlng all the uses for coal into con-
slderation, believe that we are getting
oacK an amount represented by usefnl
WORK OF one kind or another of much
less than IN per cent Of the energy in
the coal. we can never, of course.
nope to get anything like the full value
OF energy in the coal, but, ton the other
mana, throwing away more than 80 per
cent OF the value of our coal in the
process of conversion is of the great
est possible concern to the country.
Moreover, there is further waste in
VOWED In our present methods Of u.s.
ing coal which is only second in i'm
Portance to the one / have spoken Of.
FOR the purpose Of looking into this
question: have taken the figures of
production and consumption given In
the report of the royal commission on
coal, which, clearly summarizes the
position as it stood few years ago.
ana as the increase, taking place is
fairly regular these figures have been
taken throughout. According to this
report l67,O00,000 tons of coal were
being used i'll the country in 1903. OF
this amount 100000 tons went to
coastinS steamers and 100000 tons
We're used by the gas companies. In
order to simplify matters, and make
the figures clear l have left out of
consideration the coal used in these
two items. ana then taken the balance
viz, 15Q,000.000 tons--as the annual
coal consumption Of the country. Ii
now, instead of using this coal for do
ing work as at present. We were to
convert it into electricity. we should
use, instead of l50,Q00,OOO tons, GO .OOO.-
900 tons of coal q year.