Evening star., 1936-11-30

supplying fuel gas by distillation Of
wood or charcoal.
Other "have-nots" are acting sim
ilarly. Czechoslovakia requires 20 per
cent alcohol in motor fuels; Brazil
requires gasoline TO contain 10 per
cent alcohol; one German variation.
in Bavaria, is to give purchasers OF
cars that burn wood gas state sub
sidy of $24G.
Gigantic British Plant.
But the Bergius process Is the big
thing. It Is now thoroughly practical.
England has gone in briskly for hy-
drogenation England's outstanding
chemical event Of 1896 was completion
of a gigantic plant at Billinghan.
first in the world to make gasoline
on a commercial basis from bitumi-
nous coal. Its production next year Is
expected to reach 10000 tons.
Germany. prime example Of the
trend in "totalitarian" states, has en-.
Enthusiastically adopted this nine-point
fuel program:
More petroleum from German fields,
and search for new ones; less impor-
tation of refined petroleum products;
use Of motors burning gas; production
of more petroleum products synthet-
ically; experiments with vehicles US
ing wood, charcoal and coal dust for
fuel; use Of vehicles using electricity
and steam: substitute fuels in sta
tionary engines; blended fuels in
ordinary motor cars. such as those
containing alcohol and gasoline: con-
servation Of gasoline by pleasure
drivers.
But working against Germany, and
other nations equally fuel-hungry, are
such factors as these: The ever-in-
creasing number of motor vehicles
and Diesel motors; the increasing de-
mands for gasoline and oil by the
army and navy; the great cost Of
producing gasoline synthetically and
of converting motors to the use Of
substitutes exclusively; loss Of import
duties.
Coal synthesized gasoline costs
thrice as much as gasoline from oil.
The expense of erecting hydrogenation
plants-which create gasoline by the
chemical union of gaseous hydrogen
and powdered coal under high pressure
is tremendous. And the alterna-
tive-conversion of cars to the use Of
pure alcohol-would also be very cost
ly. AS yet, only blends are used.
Experts agree Germany can become
self-sufficient only If she can afford
to pay highly for it. She evidently is
willing to make this convulsive effort.
Her hydrogenation plants are expected
next year to produce upward of 450,-
900 tons of synthetic gasoline. That
will supply about third of the need.
Meanwhile, the hunt for home oil wells
has raised production to 3,500.00 bar
rels of crude oil annually. so that
home oil now balances the amount still
imported out of necessity.
Germany to End Imports.
These were the achievements Hitler
had in mind recently when he PROM
ised Germany she would have no need
for foreign gasoline on her network
of eternal" roads. He said the new
roads would be ready in five years,
but that in 18 months Germany no
longer would need to import motor
fuel
The have" nations, meantime, need
not be overly jubilant about natures
gifts. Facts show why. Up to jan
uary /. 1886, according to figures given
the Third World Power Conference,
the world had produced 27,0O0,0 ,000.-
900 barrels of crude oil Only about
25, ,000, 100000 barrels of proven re-
serves recoverable by present known
methods remained. And the Oil drain
goes on. Total world production last
year was 1,634.800.15O barrels. Fiji
teen years more Of such siphoning.
and where will the oil reserves be?
OF the worlds remaining proven