Important Coal-gas Development.
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WE HAVE every reason to believe that, in the near futtrre, coal-gas as a substitute for petrol will receive official encouragement, and that obstruction and difficulties raised by police or kcalauthorities will be removed. We are aware; too, that some of these obstructions and difficulties will be raised mainly as a "matter of form" with'the intention of shifting the burden of the decision on to the shoulders of a higher authority. Official encouragement of the use of coal-gas must, however, be accompanied by facilities for increased output of gas to meet the demand, -and also for the manufacture of high-pressure containers.
After-war Models and Oversea Agents.
THE PRESENT RELATIONS between the British manufacturer and his agent, or prospective agent, in the Empire Overseas or in foreign countries, are bound to be somewhat unsatisfactory and to continue so until the delivery of after-rar models becomes possible. It might appear that, at the moment, tht. "manufacturer can do nothing at an to support the agent, but many representatives of the latter class are not of this opinion. They are anxious to receive from home all the information that can possibly be made available as to the models which it will later on be proposed to ship to them.
Admittedly, the manufacturer is in a difficult position. He does not care to disclose his plans for the future at a time when those plans may have to be subjected to considerable modification before it is possible for them to materialize in any form. He feels that, by so doing, he would only be running the risk of misleading the agent. The agent, on the other hand, feels that, if the manufacturer cannot tell him everything, he could at least tell him something, and that if he fails to do so, he is guilty of wilful neglect.
The agent finds certain foreign manufacturers far more ready with information of the same kind as that which he desires to get from home, but cannot. It may be a mistake on his part to endeavour to force the manufacturer to reveal immature plans which may never be put through, and the discussion of which may, therefore, be nothing more than misleading. Oct the other hand, it is possible that some of our manufacturers could—and, therefore, should—give these agents a little more help than they do.
At present manufacturers are an so much engrossed in war work that they feel that inquiries of this sort, to which they cannot reply with detailed accuracy, are hardty worth replying to at all. Consequently, the job is apt to be allocated to .some junior official, who merely indites a formal letter stating that the plans for after-war production are not as yet ripe for announcement. We think it might be well worth the while of manufacturers to ronsider if they cannot go further than this, and give, as it were, the headlines of their intentions, always with the reservation that it may be necessary to modify their programme. If, by doing this, the interest of the agent and of his clients can be held and stimulated, then surely the trouble is warranted.
Our coal-gas Demonstration.
WE ARE, ABLE on another page to make dennite announcement of dat;e, time and place of the demonstration of petrol vehicles that have been converted to run on coal-gas. Ity the courtesy of the directors of Messrs. John I. Thornycroft and Co., Ltd., their new commercial vehicle repair depot and garage at Pulford Street, Grosvenor Road, London, has been placed entirely at our disposal. . This is one of the finest buildings in London for the purpose, and we consider ourselves fortunate in securing its use. The arrangements for the demonstration are shaping well, and by 10th October we are confident that it will .be representative, comprehensive and exceedingly...informative of the developments in the use of this important alternative fuel. To make it so we require the help of every user, and we put it to them that it will be entirely to their advantage to lend their vehicles for the two hours covered by the demonstration. The impression such a demonstration will make upon the authorities cannot be otherwise than favourable, and when it is seen that the commercial community is making suoh determined efforts to help itself and to save petrol, official encouragement in a, more concrete form and in the directions still required cannot be denied.
Coal-gas Progress in Lancashire.
THE EXTRAORDINARY development of the coal-gas movement is further emphasized in our article in this week's issue by our special correspondent detailing an important interview with Alderman W. Kay, J.P., chairman of the Gas Committee of the Manchester Corporation! As our correspondent points out, Manchester is literally humming with coalgas developments. The whole district over a .radius of 60 miles will be organized with automatic, coin meters and universal connections while gas will be supplied at a universal price There is no reason to doubt that, before long, commercial Lancashire will also be linked up with commercial Yorkshire. Similarly important is the news of further developments in the shape of containers which will hold coalgas under compression. Mt. Leo Swain claims to have conceived a composite container, full part ionlars of which we are promised very shortly, but the most important development of all is a container (not made of metal) which is reckoned will stand 1000 lb. pressure to the square inch, about to be introduced by the wellknown firm of Wood-Milne, Ltd • Manchester has also developed the rigid roof container, which it is calculated will stand a pressure of 60 lb. to the square inch. If evidence were needed to confirm our enthusiastic and hopeful views on the possibilities of coal-gas as motor fuel, these discoverieeby our special correspondent would more than furnish it.
The amount of interest evinced at the M.T.A. meeting last Thursda.rin "The Motor '2 representative's address on the subject of coal-gas showed that deale'rs are now fully alive to the possibilities of the situation.
Mr. E. S. Shrapnell-Smith.
MR. WALTER LONG, M.P., has appointed Mr. E. S. Shrapnell-Smith Petrol Economy Officer to the Central Control Committee for Petroleum Products. His many friends will join with us in congratulating him upon this important appointmentefurther details of which will be duly announced. We may add that it is now some weeks since he has acted in an editorial capacity on this journal, and it may be that his now duties will require his relinquishment of newspaper work ; but for a few days it is impossible to make a more definite statement.