386

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

August 23, 1918.

(7)	The super-plants would feed into the main

trunk distribution system, which must be
laid down throughout the country. For this
purpose the country should be divided into
some 16 districts, throughout each of which
there should be a standard periodicity and
trunk main voltage.

(8)	This main trunk distribution system would

collect any waste power available wherever
situated and deliver it where it could be
profitably used. It would also, by saying
the cost of transport, make it commercially
possible to bring much coal to the surface,
•	which is at present wasted and left in the

pit, and which under the new conditions
would be turned into electrical energy at
or near the pit head.

(9)	If power supply in the United Kingdom were

dealt with on comprehensive lines and ad-
vantage taken of the most modern engineer-
ing development, the saving in coal through"
out the country would, in the near future,
amount to 55,000,000 tons per annum on
the present output of manufactured pro-
ducts.

(10)	If the coal so saved were used for the produc-

tion of further power it would be possible
to generate continuously not less than
15,000,000 horse power, which would more
than compensate for the absence of large
water powers in this country and admit of
the manufacture here of many products
which are at present only made in America
and on the Continent.

(11)	The development of such a power system may

be likened to the development of the rail-
ways of a country, and it is just as impos-
sible to secure economical power generation
and supply by each municipal area working
independently, which is the position to-day,
as it would be to have an efficient railway
system if each municipal area owned its own
lines, and long-distance transport-were pro-
vided for by running-power agreements.
History shows that in the early stages of
railway development in this country exactly
the same process of amalgamation had to be
gone through.

(12)	The present system of electrical power distri-

bution throughout the country, which is
undertaken by over 600 authorities in as
many separate districts, is technically
wrong and commercially uneconomical. The
present average size of generating station
is only 5,000 horse-power, or about one-
fourth of what should now be the smallest
generating machine in the power station.
The “Power Act” legislation inaugurated
some fifteen years ago has not had the de-
sired result on account of the restrictions
imposed upon the Power Companies.

(13)	A national system of electric power supply
would greatly facilitate the electrification
of railways with its attendant advantages,
save large sums of money at present spent
on the transport and distribution of coal,
and bring within reach of the community as
a whole the great benefits of an increase in
the use of electricity for domestic purposes,
advantages which, taken together, are per-
haps of more value than the direct coal
saving.

Recommendations.

48.—(1) It is essential that the present inefficient
system of over 600 districts should be superseded by
a comprehensive system in which Great Britain is
divided into some sixteen districts, in each of which
there should be one authority dealing with all the
generation and main distribution.

(2)	Centres, or sites, suitable for electric generating
purposes should at once be chosen on important water-
ways as the future main centres of supply for each of
the districts into which the country is to be divided.

(3)	The sites so chosen should be as large as pos-
sible, having in view the land available in suitable
localities, and should have ample water and transport
facilities. Land is required not only for the power
stations themselves—which for the sake of security and
safety would have to be suitably sub-divided, that is,
they would not be contained all in one building—
but for the processes involved in the extraction of
by-products from the coal before it is used for the
production of power, where such extraction is found
to be justified. It is also required for the develop-
ment of electro-chemical processes, which may be most
conveniently carried on in close proximity to the power
plant. This condition entails the sites being chosen
outside, not inside, towns. (The health of the great
industrial centres and the congestion of the railway
lines in their neighbourhood would be radically im-
proved by arranging that the conversion of coal into
motive power was carried out away from the densely
populated centres.)

(4)	Plans should be prepared for the construction
immediately after the war on these sites of the first
instalment of large super-power plants capable, first,
of supplying, through a comprehenseive electric power
distribution system which must also be arranged for,
the existing demands of the community; and, secondly,
of supplying electrical energy at the lowest possible
price for new processes and manufactures.

(5)	Such plants would be designed so that, as
methods are perfected for extracting by-products from
the fuel, before using it for the purpose of the pro-
duction of electric power, the by-product plant can
be combined with the power plant. Each site should
be laid out with this in view, and with a view to the
unrestricted extensions of the plant as required.

(6)	Power available from surplus gas or waste heat
should be turned into electrical energy on the spot
in local plants which would feed into the main dis-
tribution system. As regards waste coal—i.e., coal

which it does not at present pay to bring to the sur-
face—this could, where transport was the ruling con-
sideration, also be used on the spot.

(7)	Once these plants are in existence it would be
possible for existing authorities, without any risk of
being left in the lurch, to stop extensions of their own
uneconomical stations, situated as they mostly are on
cramped and unsuitable sites, and to arrange to take
their power from the main system.

(8)	With a view to carrying out the policy advo-
cated a Board of Electricity Commissioners should be
appointed, with full powers to deal with the electricity
supply situation throughout the country. They should
have power—inter alia—

(a)	To stop the extension or multiplication of un-

economical stations for public supply.

(b)	To arrange for the handing over, on equitable

terms, of the generation, transmission and
main distribution system in each of the
areas into which the country is to be divided,
to a new electricity body appointed for that
area.

(c)	To standardise for each area the frequency and

voltage of the main transmission and distri-
bution system.

(d)	To settle for each area whether such body

should consist of a Parliamentary company
working under adequate control as regards
limitation of dividends, &c., or one of the
other alternatives given in Appendix C.

(9)	Alternative types of the new electric power
organisations are described in Appendix C. In
reference to these alternative types the Sub-Com-
mittee are impressed with the special need for initiative
and resource in the management of the business of
power supply, and they are of the opinion that the
freedom of range and keenness which are distinctive
of private enterprise will be found to be in a high
degree conducive to the fullest measure of success.
The Sub-Committee consider that if the nation is to
get immediately an efficient power supply, and is to
take advantage of the temporary lull in manufacturing
output immediately after the war, State assistance in
some form may be necessary.

This Report is signed by Charles H. Merz (Vice-
Chairman), William A. Bone, Guy Calthrop, John
Kemp, R. A. S. Redmayne, and Charles P. Sparks.

APPENDIX II.

Report of the Geological Sub-Committee.

Scope of the Inquiry.—The areas to which the terms
of reference relate may be considered under two
heads:—

(a)	New coalfields and extensions of visible coal-

fields, which have been proved to exist, but
the extent and value of which are imper-
fectly known.

(b)	New coalfields or extensions of known coal-

fields, the existence of which is regarded as
probable or possible, but which have not
been proved to exist.

By “visible coalfields” is meant those tracts where
Coal Measures crop out at the surface and are open
to view, except where they are overspread by super-
ficial gravels, &c. The term, “ extension of a visible
coalfield,” is applied to a tract where Coal Measures
pass under newer strata. New coalfields, so far as
regards carboniferous rocks of Britain, can occur only
under those parts of the Kingdom which are occupied
by formations of later date than Coal Measures.

On ordinary geological maps visible coalfields alone
are indicated. Map 1, accompanying this Report, has
been constructed to show : —

(1)	The position of visible coalfields in relation to

older and newer formations.

(2)	The situation and extent of proved extensions

and proved new coalfields.

(3)	The situation of probable extensions and

probable new coalfields.

(4)	The situation of possible extensions and pos-

sible new coalfields.

The scope of the Inqury is narrowed down to a con-
sideration of (2), (3), and (4). It will be observed
that as regards proved extensions and proved new
coalfields in England and Wales, the following counties
come up for consideration:—Cumberland, Northum-
berland with Durham, Flintshire, Denbighshire, South
Lancashire with Cheshire, Yorkshire with Derbyshire
and Nottinghamshire, North Staffordshire, South
Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Leicester-
shire, Somersetshire with Gloucestershire, Kent. In
Scotland, as regards extensions of known coalfields,
attention may be directed to Central Ayrshire;
Dumfriesshire at Sanquhar and Canonbie; East
Lothian (under sea); Mid Lothian (under sea); West
Lothian (under sea); Fife (under sea); Clack-
mannan (under sea); Stirling (under sea); Ayrshire
(under sea); Argyllshire (under sea). As regards
probable and possible extensions and new coalfields,
attention is directed to the Cheshire. Basin, to the
Midlands, to a large part of eastern England, and to
a broad tract extending along the south coast west-
wards to Devonshire, and inland in the counties of
Sussex, Hampshire, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Wilt-
shire, and Oxfordshire. In Northumberland coals are
developed in the carboniferous limestone series, and
are workable locally. The most valuable are those
which are worked near Plashetts and Scremerston,
low down in the limestone series. Others which are
of more strictly local development occur in the upper
part of the limestone series. These lie at depths of
200-700 yards below the millstone grit. The limestone
coals presumably exist in the form of a concealed coal-
field under the true coal measures of the Northumber-
land coalfield, but the depth to the Plashetts and
Scremerston coals would be altogether prohibitive, and
the upper seams are neither of sufficient value nor
constancy to encourage search being made for them
at any considerable depth. The parts of the lime-
stone series which are productive of coal are there-
fore shown on the map accompanying this Report us
visible coalfields without practicable extensions.

Previous Inquiries.—The extensions of coalfields and
the existence of new coalfields were made the subject
of systematic inquiry in 1871 by the Royal Coal Com-
mission.*

In 1905 the Royal Commission on Coal Supplies
reviewed the evidence in the light of information
obtained since 1871. In 1913 the subject of the pos-
sible resources of the unproved tracts was re-opened
for the purposes of “ The Coal Resources of the
World,” prepared by the International Geological
Congress for the meeting at Toronto. In every case
some modifications of previous estimates were proved
to have become necessary by the progress of explora-
tion. Each of the Royal Commissions made an ex-
haustive collection of the information available at the
time on the location, extent, and accessibility of un-
proved coalfields, but increasing activity in the ex-
ploration, following upon the strain which is being
placed upon known coalfields, has shown that the sub-
ject requires periodical reconsideration as fresh infor-
mation becomes available.

The terms of reference to the Commission of 190 j
included an inquiry “ into the extent and available
resources of the coalfields of the United Kingdom.”
The Geological Sub-Committee is called upon to con-
sider whether “ it is desirable that any steps should
be taken in the near future, and, if so, what steps,
to secure the development of new coalfields or “ exten-
sions, of coalfields already being worked.” The deter-
mination, therefore, of the existence, extent, and value
of concealed coalfields by boring or other methods of
exploration, falls within the scope of the Inquiry of
the Sub-Committee.

The method of inquiry was the same in the case of
both the Royal Commissions referred to. The re-
sources were separately estimated for—

(a)	Visible coalfields and any concealed extensions

which were being worked, or the extent and
contents of which had been proved by
boring.

(b)	Extensions and new coalfields, the existence of

which could be inferred, but whose extent
and value had not been ascertained.

As regards (b), which alone comes under the terms
of reference to this Sub-Committee, the evidence on
which the reports and estimates were based was
furnished by—

(1)	Geological maps of the areas concerned.

(2)	Records of deep borings.

(3)	Records of underground exploration carried

out from existing mines.

(1)	In such an inquiry geological maps on a scale of

not less than six inches to the mile are essential. Such
maps indicate, on the one hand, in which direction a
visible coalfield may have a concealed extension and
where a concealed coalfield may exist, and, on the other
hand, the margin beyond which search for coal is
useless. They should give also all information obtain-
able in the visible coalfield regarding the dip and
thickness of strata, the sequence and value of coal
seams, and the positions and effects of faults, in order
that an idea may be formed of the structures likely
to exist in the concealed area by projecting below it
the structures of the visible area. Not less important
is the mapping of the formations by which the exten-
sion is concealed, in order that their sequence, thick-
ness, and relation to the concealed measures may be
determined. If they are unconformably superimposed,
as is generally the case, they may rest upon any part
of the productive measures, or upon the strata below
them.	'

The Geological Survey maps were used by the two
Commissions wherever they were available, but in
1871 a small part only of the area to be investigated
had been mapped on the six-inch scale. By 1905 con-
siderable progress had been made in the six-inch
survey, but there remained such important coalfields
as those of South Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Den-
bighshire, the Severn Valley, Forest of Dean, Bristol,
and Somerset, with small parts of South Wales and
Derbyshire, in which the original survey made on the
Old Series one-inch maps was alone available. In the
meantime many of the six-inch maps used in 1871 had
become inadequate for want of revision, and more
recent information had to be collected from a variety
of sources by independent inquiry. Up-to-date six-
inch maps were not available for a majority of the
coalfields. The same remark applies to the explanatory
memoirs which serve to supplement the information
given on the maps.

(2)	After locating the site of a probable concealed
coalfield on geological reasoning, the next step con-
sists of its exploration by borings. The interpretation
and preservation of the records obtained is of the
greatest importance. It was found, however, that
inadequate provision had been made to effect these
objects. The Commissioners of 1905 remarked in their
Report (Par. 119) that “A large number of borings
have been made in various parts of the country ranging
to upwards of 3,000 feet in depth. At present no
machinery exists for preserving any information thus
obtained, and we think it would be of great advantage
if particulars of borings could be collected and pre-
served in a Government Office.”

The Geological Survey interpret and preserve
records of all borings to which they are permitted
access, and had in this way accumulated much valu-
able information, which was utilised by the Commis-
sioners. But there were many borings ‘regarding
which information had been refused and to which no
access had been permitted. In many of these cases
the strata had been wrongly identified, and in several
the finding of coal has been reported from rocks which,
on competent examination, have proved to be of
Silurian, Ordovician, or Cambrian age. The failure
to preserve correct records of borings may be regarded
as involving a serious national loss.

The Sub - Committee are aware that detailed
accounts of upwards of 3,100 borings and sinkings

* Report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into
the several matters relating to Coal, Vol. I., 1871, Report
of Committee D, p. 118.