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Enthusiasm Key to Producer-gas Success

22nd January 1943
Page 32
Page 35
Page 32, 22nd January 1943 — Enthusiasm Key to Producer-gas Success
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

By Sir Alfred E. Faulkner

C.B., C.B.E.

Director of Alternative Motor FirCls, MitliStry Of War TrallSpOri

I AM obliged to the organizers of this 1 luncheon for the opportunity of addressing such a representative 'gathering of road-transport operators, on the subject ofsroducer gas. There are a lot of other speakers and I am warned to be short, so I propose to confine myself to only two points.

There is a very widespread feeling among the commercial community that Governments and Government officials sit in the neighbourhood of Whitehall and issue their instructions without appreciating the trouble they cause to the industries which have to give practical effect to the orders.

If the Government tells a Briton that something is necessary for the prosecution of the war he will do it, although he thinks the Government all wrong, but he will grouse a bit about it and suffer the inconveniences -less cheerfully than he would if he were satisfied that it was right and that the Government, in taking its decision, had appreciated to the full the difficulties it was causing.

Well, Mr. Chairman, I hope to satisfy this audience that the Government knew what it was doing on this °erasion. -We are batting on a bad wicket, because too much has been claimed for producer gas by other people, but the Government does not make that mistake. We admit that producer gas, used in an engine designed to use petrol, is dirty, inconvenient, troublesome and inefficient, We claim nothing more than that if you try enthusiastically to make a vehicle run on producer gas you can make it do so.

One of the technical papers said last week that a producer-gas vehicle needed fuel and enthusiasm. That is perfectly true.

The Government fully realized that it was adding to your difficulty by thtowingon already depleted and overburdened fitting staffs the extra work of fitting producers and converting the engines, that maintenance and servicing would add also to your labour difficulties, that your schedules would be interfered with _and, possibly, in some cases additional vehicles might be required, and that even if vehicle were available drivers and conductors were hard to find.

It is appreciated also that in many cases additions would have to be made to garages to service and house the producers, thus making a further call on labour and on materials already ii short supply.

All this wag taken into account before the decision was . made, and is merely a measure of the importance which the Government attaches to this scheme. There are two main, reasons for the decision.The first was to save petrol—in itself sufficient to justify it, when olie considers the risks taken by the Royal and Merchant Navies' in bringing petrol to this country.

But there was a second—and, •perhaps, still more important reason. This was to secure that all big p.s.v, and goods-vehicle operators should have experience in the use of producer gas in case we ever find ourselves .up against insuperable •difficulties in ; maintaining sullicieet. petroleum imports. When all 'big firms have such experience, when, throughout the country, there is a nucleus of mechanics who know how to fit, maintain and service gas producers and a nucleus of experienced drivers who can teach others, we shall have a foundation on which a widespread use of producer gas could be, built if this. should ever be necessary.'

, Gentlemen, when you yourselves feel inclined to criticize the Government or bear criticisms about the Government's decision on producer gas, just consider the'point from the two angles I have given you and I thinie that you will find the answer every time.

• For instance, I have had pointed out to me several times the apparent inconsistency of curtailing bus se/vices to save rubber and making a bus pull a trailer with rubber tyresThe answer is, those responsible for this decision .cbnsidered it necessary, in' Spite of• the ditficult rubber situation. Actually, it is quite arguable that a producergas trailer may actually save rubber but I have not tirhe to follow that up further now.

want to 'finish by an appeal to all those concerned to add enthusiasm to the fuel for producer gas, rouse that enthusiasm in mechanicS and drivers; persuade them that they are pioneers. in what. may prove an important war • effort, that4they have been chosen so that they may teach others if necessary."_ If you will do this 'the Government producer-gas scheme will be a success,

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