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138
Calorific Power
and recent
Legislation.
Tests of the calorific power of the Wandsworth and Putney
Gas Company's gas have not hitherto been made,
as it was felt by the Council that they would
prefer to await the results of tests made by the
London County Council which were commenced in January, 1906.
Since that date, daily tests have been made of the calorific power
of the gas supplied by the Metropolitan Gas Companies, and it
is considered that the time has now arrived when a standard calorific
power can safely be fixed.
The increasing use of gas for heating and cooking, for small
fuel purposes in certain manufactories, for motor power, and
especially also for illuminating purposes in incandescent burners,
coupled with the steadily decreasing use of flat-flame burners,
all tend to emphasise the importance of testing the calorific power
of gas.
Although from experiments made, there seems to be, so far,
no very clearly defined relation between calorific power and
illuminating power, it would appear that, ceteris paribus, a gas of
high calorific power will give a greater illumination than one of
lower calorific power.
As a practical outcome of long continued experiments, a
clause has been inserted by agreement, after conference between the
Gas Light and Coke Company and the London County Council
(in a Bill which has recently passed the Committee stage of the
House of Commons, authorising the acquisition of the undertaking
of the West Ham Gas Company by the Gas Light and Coke
Company), fixing the standard of calorific power at 125 calories
net (see Miuutes of Proceedings, L.C.C., March 23rd, 1909, p. 672).
It is also generally agreed that the calorific power, if tested at all,
should be tested at all reasonable times, since the gas may be
used for heating and other purposes both by day and night.
Mitch am and
Wimbledon
Gas Company.
As pointed out in my last Annual Report on Gas Testings
made during the year ended March 31st, 1908, the
testings of the gas supplied by this Company at
the new testing place in Haydon's Road, South
Wimbledon, instead of at the Works of the Company as heretofore,
commenced in January, 1908, in accordance with the Mitcham