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Show NEW INDUSTRY" IS DISCUSSED BY J. B. SOISION On February 12, I spent a goodly number of hours with representatives rep-resentatives of the federal government gov-ernment and of the state government govern-ment who are interested in the furthrance of public interests. I wish to call your attention to one problem that may be of interest not only to the people of Spring-ville Spring-ville but to the people of the county. There is an opportunity for Springville to establish a processing pro-cessing coal plant in conjunction with steam power plant. The gas we are using now. 565 B. T. U. per cubic foot and the new gas which comes through coal processing process-ing proceudre will have a fuel value of at least 950 B. T. U. per cubic foot. Simultaneously there will be produced enough crude oil for a small on refining plant from which will be obtained gasoline with a ' higher anti-knock value than the 100 octane. "Such a plant for generating all the power, city gas, smokeless fuel and part of the city's gasoline requirements, will cost less than $150,000. The four outstanding necessities are: fuel, oil products, power and gas all of which should be service commodities and not commodities to be dealt for private pri-vate profit. All of these results can be obtained by a processing plant, if owned by the city. The coal, after the processing, is in such a condition as to have thirty per cent higher heating value and is absolutely clean and dustless and if sold in the community to the citizens at a much lower fate than the present coal prices will yield to the city a handsome income. in-come. Likewise the oil with the anti-knock value of more than 100 octane value can be produced pro-duced for the market to the citizens citi-zens for about 15 cents per gallon. gal-lon. If this much money can be obtained from the coal and the oil and also from the gas with its high fuel value and from the gasoline gaso-line which can also be sold at a much cheaper rate, the electric power can be furnished free. In other words the money obtained from processing coal by selling a much better product at a lower rate will buy and maintain the plant at the same time the electricity elec-tricity will be free. Through the establishment of such a city owned, city operated plant, the (1) gasoline (2) the gas for fuel, (3) the coal which is dustless and higher in fuel value per ton than the present coal now in use (4) the electricity all of which can be produced and served to the people at a tremendous tre-mendous lower rate than that which we are now under. This program pro-gram calls for clear thinking and a forward looking procedure. Plans are under way to have this procedure explained to the people of Springville in a large mass meeting. Of course there are many problems ahead of such a procedure, however, there are bills being introduced in congress permitting the states and cities to go into the gasoline market business. We have the coal to run such a plant and the technical difficulties dif-ficulties can be overcome. In many places in the United States this kind of procedure is now being be-ing worked out. The Civic clubs in the vicinity of St. George are alive to the situa-I situa-I tion. The procedure is being con- I sidered carefully by Carbon county. coun-ty. Mrs. D. C. Gibson introduced a bill in the house of representatives representa-tives which was passed by the house also by the senate by large majorities but the bill was vetoed by the governor. The bill provided to remove the gasoline tax on gasoline produced from coal; a 4 cent tax on gasoline produced from coal will subsidize this new coal products industry. We shall he prepared in the near futre to call a mass meeting meet-ing for the discission of problems at which meeting a technical engineer, en-gineer, a director of Utah coal products work will speak. This engineer en-gineer is also a director of the Consumers' league. He is technically tech-nically trained to discuss this matter mat-ter thoroughly. This article is merely to call your attention to movements that are now in progress. |