Producer Gas Viewed with Favour in South Africa
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WITH the introduction of petrol Ylf rationing hi South Africa, the Minister of Commerce and Industries, the Hon. R. Stuttaford, has named producer gas as the most feasible sub stitute for petrol. It is now being stated that Australia has nearly 14,000 vehicles equipped to use producer gas, and South Africa is being urged to follow the Australian example with the least possible delay. To give a lead, the Government has invited tenders for 100 producer-gas generators for use on Government-owned lorries.
Details of producer-gas progress made in South Africa have been given in Cape Town by Mr. Colin Simpson, an assistant to the Director-General of War Supplies, Dr. H. J. Van der Bijl. Mr. Simpson is chairman of a company formed to develop the use of
producer gas for road transport, agricultural tractors and stationary engines in South Africa. He reveals that Dr. Van der 13ij1 empanelled a war supplies committee 18 months ago to assist the Fuel Research Institute in its investigations of the subject.
Mr. Simpson stated that "The result was a report on which can be built up an industry which might yet prove of vital importance to the country. In addition to its emergency value, the peace-time industrial prospects of producer gas are considerable. South Africa is almost entirely dependent upon overseas sources for its supplies of motor spirit," The Minister of Commerce and Industries said that the Government had provisionally adopted a fairly simple generator design as the standard type suitable for lorries.