This small ten page booklet was published by the Clackmannanshire District Library service back in 1984. Available at that time for a mere 40 pence, It references the rise and decline of shipbuilding in Alloa, and some of the other industries that thrived in Alloa between 1880 and the early 1950's, containing excerpts from the Alloa Journal from over 70 years ago.
Aerial view of Jeffrey's ship building yard, Alloa.
DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE
Some notes on the history of the Alloa riverfront
and of the Jeffrey Shipyard.
by
D.C. Jeffrey and Robert Jeffrey
Clackmannan District Libraries
1984
FOREWORD
This booklet contains two different works - a short article about the Jeffrey shipyard in Alloa by one of the Jeffrey family, D.C. Jeffrey, and a series of articles by another member of the Jeffrey family, Robert Jeffrey.
Robert Jeffrey's series of articles appeared in the Alloa Journal in 1953 and was entitled "The Riverfront of Bygone Days". It appears here more or less as it did in 1953.
The other short article was written specially for this publication, and we are very grateful to D.C. Jeffrey, who now lives in Canada, for giving permission to print both articles.
The point of publishing these two articles together is to show what a busy area the riverfront at Alloa was in bygone days and to give the reader some idea of the various industries that were carried on there, and to a limited extent still are. Of course, one of the main industries was shipbuilding and repairing, and the Jeffrey family was at one time very involved in this. As well as giving a good account of the past, Robert Jeffrey looks forward, in the last few paragraphs of his articles, to the development of hydro-electric power and to the coming of atomic energy, "for the peaceful betterment of our own people".
D. Hynd
District Librarian.
January, 1984.
A SHORT HISTORY OF JEFFREY SHIPYARD IN ALLOA
In the spring of 1894 my father was 16 years of age and as he lay in the kitchen bed at No.4 Forth Street, Alloa recovering from an attack of the "bile" as a stomach upset was called in these days, he was unaware that the little girl of 6 years who walked in with her father and mother would be his future wife, my mother Annie Cockburn.
David Cockburn with his wife and family had come from Glasgow to join in partnership with Archie Jeffrey who had a blacksmith and plate-working business at the Alloa shore. His father George Cockburn was the founder of Cockburns Ltd. in Cardonald, Glasgow, but he did not believe in having sons in the business as he had seen too often the "weakening" in the second generation.
Archie Jeffrey had come from Carronshore about 1876 to set up shop as a blacksmith in Forth Street near the "wet" dock. He had heard of the need for blacksmith work on the sailing ships arriving in South Alloa to unload pit props. These ships came mostly from Baltic ports and were often lacking in the ironwork necessary for safety of the masts and sail-yards. Archie was kept busy producing the iron mast-bands but later he developed into plate working on tanks for the Alloa breweries and distilleries. In the 1870's and 1880's he travelled everywhere on horseback which he found more convenient than the train, and he even travelled to Glasgow this way where he met the Cockburn family and arranged for to join in the business as an engineer.
Grandfather Archie Jeffrey had become a well-known figure at Alloa shore because he was a lay preacher at the Mission Hall off Castle Street. He had five sons - Archie, Robert, David (my father) Tom and George. The last two were in later years Church of Scotland ministers and George attained the distinction of Moderator of the Church in 1952.
The A. Jeffrey Company moved into the site of the old wooden shipyard (shown on the Alloa 1825 survey map [as belonging to Mr. Duncanson]) about 1890 and acquired the old stone-built dry dock in 1904. My grandfather Archie Jeffrey died in 1907 and the company was restructured, leaving David Cockburn with half share, and the two Jeffrey brothers David and Robert, sharing the other half.
Alloa 1825 survey map - National Library of Scotland
My father and mother were married in 1909. Two years later father convinced his father-in-law and his brother Bob that they should start into shipbuilding because their business was prospering and their combined expertise was suited to ship work. Father obtained orders for "dumb" barges (no engines) for use on the Thames, and since A. Jeffrey & Company had never built a ship before, he had to accept the orders below cost. To be able to put "Shipbuilders" on their letter heading was the prize. My mother Annie had her first son Harry in 1912 and I was born in 1914, while her third son Archie was born in 1918.
The building of steel ships at Jeffrey's yard proved very successful. Bob Jeffrey was a gifted engineer and although he had little formal engineering training he was soon producing the steam engines for the ships. The design of these engines was based on published data, and he was fortunate in having the services of a young ship's engine draughtsman whom he brought from Glasgow.
I have photographs of the compound and triple expansion engines, each of several thousand H.P. which he produced, mainly during the 14-18 war, and as a professional engineer myself I find it incredible that starting from scratch only a few years before, uncle Bob and his merry men were producing such large and powerful engines at the Alloa yard. My mother's younger brother George Cockburn was sent at the tender age of 15 to the Royal Technical College in Glasgow to study naval architecture. He became the Company's one and only naval architect in 1912.
During these years the Company developed fast and this was possible because the working owners of the business ploughed back their profits for purchasing more plant and equipment. My father told me that his take-home pay was often less than that of his employees, especially during war-time. By this time the company had about 400 employees.
A thriving business always attracts the interest of investors and A. Jeffrey & Company were no exception. The three directors of the business were approached by a London financial group suggesting that they finance the company to modernise and provide working capital to build larger ships than 2,000 ton coasters, in return for shares in the business. This was agreed to because my father particularly was keen to expand. So by 1916 our family had only 50 percent ownership, the other 50 percent belonging to a London financial group under a Director, a Mr. Thurston.
Not long after this, presumably because the Jeffrey Company had become known in London, my grandfather David Cockburn as managing director had a visit from another financier requesting to see the yard and the work being done. Grandfather later found out he was Sir Basil Zaharoff, nicknamed the Mystery Man of Europe. Zaharoff was an independent entrepreneur who made a great deal of money buying and selling businesses. He approached the Vickers Company in London, presumably advising them that they could purchase through him a prosperous shipyard and engine shop in Alloa at an attractive price. In the deal was the Jeffrey's competitors, The Forth Shipbuilding Company which had been expanded in 1916 to expedite the building of ships for the war. This yard was built at Forth Bank, and they built a few ships before the war ended. Today there is almost no sign of this large yard at Forth Bank.
In 1919 Vickers bought both Jeffrey's and the Forth yard, leaving the existing personnel to carry on as before, which arrangement suited the Jeffrey's company directors, because they now had money for the first time. My father bought a villa in Claremont, moving from No.5 Church Street, where I was born.
Unfortunately, in the post-war depression of 1921 and 1922 the bottom fell out of shipbuilding, and Vickers closed down both Alloa yards. No further sea going ships were to be built at Alloa. And so ended a short but fast and furious shipbuilding epoch in Alloa's history spanning only the 12 years between 1911 and 1923, but producing about 30 steamships in the range up to 3,500 tons displacement.
Years later, from the deck of a passenger ship, I was thrilled to see a genuine Alloa Jeffrey ship beating into the teeth of an English Channel gale with great phosphorescent crests breaking over almost the full length of the ship. I just prayed that Uncle Bob's engines would see her through.
A launching at Jeffrey's yard from a photograph dated 11th September 1919.
The ship is being named by Mrs. Thurston.
Also in the picture is the Earl of Mar and his wife.
Three steam coasters built at Jeffrey's yard during the 1914-18 war.
They are berthed at the fitting-out dock at the yard.
A compound steam engine completed at Jeffrey's engine shop, ready for installation in a 2,000 ton capacity coaster.
Another partly-completed marine engine is shown in the background.
THE RIVERFRONT OF BYGONE DAYS
Among the many references made to Alloa's development during its century as a burgh, the riverfront has perhaps escaped its due need of attention. For over a long period, and within the memory of many still to the fore, this area was the busiest part of our town. It was always a pleasant sight to walk round the harbour during the last two decades of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth. Sailing ships were predominant, and most of them loaded with pitwood timber in the shape of battens and suchlike, came from Norway, Sweden and ports in the Baltic. From Bowhouse Farm to Longcarse, industry of all kinds flourished and, one would have thought then, would go on forever.
Inspiring Sight
To one who lived and worked a lifetime in the harbour district it was a never-ending source of interest. It was inspiring sight to see the dock filled with vessels, and others moored outside to wait their turn; vessels sometimes moored three abreast at South Alloa, and even lying in Kincardine Roads waiting to come upstream. Such was the picture of Alloa harbour and the river for many a long day.
Occasionally Russian ships came to the port, quite often with their rigging and mast temporarily bound up with rope, the idea being to have all the iron and steel work done in Alloa where it was made and completed much cheaper than in Russia.
Besides the trade in pitwood there were regular imports of wood battens from the Scandinavian ports by Messrs Dunn Brothers who owned the Alloa Sawmills in Forth Street. This prosperous trade continued into quite a number of years of this century.
Grain from Odessa
Another import was that of dyewood in the raw state from the West Indies. This dyewood, which came in larger ships, three-masted barques, was taken along to the dyeworks in Kelliebank, now the bottleworks of George Younger and Sons, Ltd. There it underwent only one process, that of being cut down to the size of small chips, which were then sent to works in Glasgow for the finishing processes.
Grain from the Black Sea also came into Alloa. At first these cargoes were brought in bulk barges which had been loaded from steamers at Leith Roads, one of them being known to frequenters of the harbour as the "Christina". But in later years specially chartered Greek steamers brought the grain direct from Odessa to Alloa. At the north-east end of the wet dock there was a crane to discharge this grain, which was then transported in specially covered horse carts to Carsebridge distillery. It was a common sight to see quite a procession of these carts going through the town.
Fascinating Craft
Further east, the Alloa Coal Company had sunk a pit at Forthbank and produced a good mixed coal for many years. And for a time a rope work was producing different types of twine and rope.
On the east side of the dock, small boats were built by ship carpenters - always a fascinating craft to watch. At the wet dock itself stood the big crane belonging to the Alloa Coal Company, built in the year 1884 by a Kilmarnock firm of engineers, Andrews and Company. One of the members of this family was Allan Andrews, who was engineer in John Paton, Son, and Company, Kilncraigs, for many years. About the beginning of this century the jib was lengthened by fifteen feet to cope with larger vessels, both sailing and steam.
Another crane further west was in action for a long period to transfer coal from horse-drawn waggons which came from Devon Pit to the wet dock.
The Age of Steam
With the passing of the years signs soon became evident that the steamer was gradually ousting the sailing vessel for the transport of wood across the North Sea, and about the turn of the century the dock entrance was found to be out of date. A new entrance and gates were provided by the then Harbour Trust, the gates being constructed by Vickers Armstrong, of Newcastle-on-Tyne. The North British Railway become owners of the harbour and were responsible for the dredging of the dock and entrance.
Reference has already been made to the industries along the river front. For variety they would be hard to beat, even in this part of the town. Every vessel which goes down to the sea "to do business in mighty waters" continually requires renewals and repairs. The Shore, as the harbour district was always known, was the starting point of a well-known firm, A. Jeffrey and Company. Established about the year 1876, this concern had a mushroom growth. The first works were situated near the wet dock.
Local Shipbuilders
In 1904 Jeffrey's purchased the drydock and yard belonging to a small firm, the Alloa Drydock Company. Up to then, besides doing ship and engine repairs, the firm had been in all kinds of mechanical engineering, including the manufacture of colliery and paper works plant. With the acquisition of the drydock they came more completely associated with ships, and in 1912 they started shipbuilding, including the building and installation of the machinery.
From Wood to Steel
In 1916 they acquired the woodyard of Dunn Brothers and the firm was converted into a limited company. By this time they had about four hundred men in their employment. Soon afterwards Jeffrey's in 1918 was taken over by the Forth Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited, which had been operating since 1916 in the Kelliebank yard.
So the yard in Forth Street, which since before the 1880's had built many fine sailing ships of wood was now turned over to the building of steel vessels and machinery and remained in being until 1922.
The Old Ferries
Further along the street the ferry and pier belonging to the Caledonian Railway Company and the adjacent property on both sides of the river, changed ownership with the completion of the Alloa Railway Bridge. The late Alexander McLeod became lessee of the ferry and piers, and soon built up a prosperous business, owning tug boats, lighters, etc. He built a new ferry, the "Lord Erskine", and later as business increased it was replaced by the "Hope", a twin-screw shallow draft steamer. This handy vessel worked the ferry very successfully for many years.
It may be recalled here that before the railway station at South Alloa was closed as redundant, one could cross by ferry and then board a train for Glasgow or Edinburgh.
On the death of Mr. Alexander McLeod, the firm name of McLeod and Sons was assumed, and in 1925 they acquired the yard adjacent to and east of the ferry, and since then have carried on very successfully the business of ship repairing general engineering and boiler-making, including electric welding. About 1935 the works came under the management of William McLeod (now Bailie McLeod) .
Glass Industry
The period of the Second World War was perhaps the busiest in the firm's existence, as many kinds of naval vessels came up the river, under control from Rosyth. The scene was a busy one during these war years and the wet dock was usually filled with a variety of craft from trawlers, drifters, and minesweepers to sloops, passenger ships, converted yachts and other specialised types. All work had to be carried out to a rigorous specification and timetable, as naval requirements demanded.
So much has been written about the Alloa Glass Work, now great in proportions and prosperity, that it is difficult to add more to the story here. To many of us a familiar sight was to watch the bottles blown to shape by the pressure Of men's breath - through the medium of a tube about six feet long the bottle assumed the correct shape. At the turn of this century, about 1907, almost in the proverbial twinkling of an eye the power of science and machinery made the older methods obsolete.
Going westward, we pass on the right the cooperage once owned by George Pearson and Sons and now the property of George Younger and Son, Ltd. Beyond it was a brick work belonging to Messrs Carmichael which ceased to function at the beginning of the century. We now arrive at the Alloa Gaswork, which started on modest lines as a private company - the manager, a Mr. Boyd may be remembered by a few of the older members of the community.
Developments in Gas
The gas undertaking was bought by the Town Council and came under the management of the late Alexander Yuill, who many will remember. He was a skilful, energetic, scientific manager, and for a time the gas produced was the cheapest in Scotland. Yuill was appointed manager of the gasworks in Dundee and was succeeded in Alloa by the late J.W. Napier, who was the second in Scotland to adopt the vertical retorts. This installation was completed in 1914. The greater demand for gas, both for commercial and household use, plus the fact that the gasworks were ultimately called on to supply all the County towns and villages, made it necessary to provide a large installation of vertical retorts, and later to add a new gas holder to give more storage capacity. This development however, came along after the nationalisation of all the gas undertakings within the last decade.
Further west the light iron industry was carried on by the firm of George Smith and Sons in the works now occupied by Sellars and Sons, who migrated from Huntley, Aberdeenshire. They produce all types of agricultural machinery which have made the name of Sellars familiar to farmers everywhere.
Heavy Iron Industry
The heavy iron industry was also carried on for many years by the firm of Mackie in what was known as the old foundry, now part of the property of Messrs Younger, and by the firm of Pearson and Ramage in the same neighbourhood. Just west of the Kelliebank Shipyard there were a few small industries which were superseded by the erection of the Scottish Central Glassworks, an offshoot of Messrs Youngers. They have been engaged in the manufacture of bottles for the "trade" since the early years of the century.
To the north of the railway lie the works of that progressive firm, the Harland Engineering Co. Ltd. They began operations in the first decade of this century as the British Electric Plant Company and were bought up by the present firm about thirty years ago. Their products go to all corners of the globe, and they can truthfully claim to be in the forefront of British firms for the production of engineering, electrical, and now hydro-electric machinery. They employ the most modern and scientific methods of production known to man, and they have indeed put Alloa on the map of the engineering world.
Fine Alloa Vessels
Mention has already been made of the industry of shipbuilding. During the period under survey some fine sailing ships and steamers were built in Alloa, and most of this activity has been associated with Kelliebank Shipyard, which was first owned by the Grangemouth Dockyard Company. Perhaps they were best known by the sailing ships they built, both three and four masted.
Strangely enough, they began by building three steamers - the "Empress", "Moray" and "Godolphin". Then came the four four-masted barques "Lord Brassey", "Lord Ripon", "Alcides" and "North Star", followed by the three-masted barques "Bankholm" and "Bankburn".
Shipyard's Decline
The firm began operations in the early 1880's. After being launched the barques were brought to the harbour to be completed with masts, always a fascinating operation to watch as it was performed by riggers and carpenters. On completion, the top gallant masts were lowered to the top crosstrees to allow the vessels to pass under the Forth Bridge. The four-masted barques carried 3,000 tons and the three-masters 2,000 tons.
Unfortunately this firm went into liquidation in the 1890's and was succeeded by the firm of McIntyre, who built only three vessels. They were a small pleasure steamer for South America, a trawler which was not a success, and a fine paddle steamer, the "Cambria", for the Southern Railway Company.
We closed last week's article with a reference to the "Cambria", a fine paddle-steamer built for the English Channel service by McIntyre and Company. This firm also went into liquidation, and was followed by Mackay Brothers, who built some fine steamers, both and passenger, until 1913, when they too went out of business. The yard was bought by a Mr. Fletcher of Montrose, who built two vessels there, and then in 1916 it was acquired by the Forth Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. Ltd.
Calamitous Slump
During the six years that followed, Kelliebank developed into a large and seemingly prosperous undertaking. Vessels ranging from 4,000 to 8,000 tons were built, mostly for Norwegian owners, and later two vessels of 13,000 tons deadweight. it is interesting to note that the latter two vessels were the largest to be built in the East of Scotland until about five years ago, when the size was exceeded by the Caledon Company of Dundee.
In the early stages of the history of this firm there seemed no limit to its ramifications. They acquired a piece of ground on the east side of the wet dock at Forthbank, there two or three vessels were built. As stated they took over in 1918 the business of A. Jeffrey and Company in Forth Street, which had by that time grown enormously. From there until the year 1921 vessels of various sizes were built. The larger ones went to the Tyne to be engined, but the others were engined from Jeffrey's Yard (as it was afterwards called) and fitted out at the wharf and wet dock. No one at that time of apparently unprecedented prosperity could foresee the coming of the calamitous slump in 1921, perhaps the worst in the history of this country. It affected other countries, notably Norway, from which the bulk of the Alloa yard's orders emanated.
Wartime Traffic Ban
As indicating the measure of that slump, it may be mentioned that at the beginning of 1921 steel plates were priced at £24.00 per ton, and by the end of the year the price had fallen to £13.00 per ton.
Another illustration is that the Poor Law Act which had existed since 1845 was scrapped and able-bodied relief was given in the form of weekly payments. The number of unemployed rose to between two and three million.
Again there was a liquidation and the Forth Shipbuilding Company were only allowed a settlement to complete the vessels they had on the stocks. Another repercussion was that all but one of the Norwegian shipping companies who had orders with the Alloa firm had to be wound up. This sudden stoppage of lucrative employment was felt by the whole town, but to the port itself it was a death-blow.
There were other and earlier causes which contributed to the gradual decline of the port. In November 1914, the Government stopped all traffic and all commerce on the Forth because of the danger of information going to enemy countries. NO ship could move on the river without the permission of the Admiralty, and it is quite safe to assert that from that date the export and import trade on the Forth suffered a blow from which it only partly recovered.
Another cause was the advent of motor transport for the purpose of connections with the larger ports further down the Forth. The steamship by the end of the First World War had completely ousted the sailing ship. The owners of the larger foreign vessels began to feel that there was no point in navigating the upper reaches when they could find better facilities, especially at Grangemouth, so eventually they stopped coming to Alloa. There is no doubt also that the bridge at Kincardine is a deterrent to navigation, despite the large opening of 150 feet of the swing bridge.
Motor transport had outdated navigation of the tortuous passage from Grangemouth westward. Exports of products manufactured in Alloa do not now use or need the port. All the sawmills in South Alloa either moved to Grangemouth or else went out of business. This transition has taken place within the last ten years.
Foreign Competition
Alloa as a port and an industrial centre of very great importance could do with the continuance of shipbuilding; the other industries would derive benefit from the diversity of labour employed both in prosperous and slack times. The prospect of it starting up again, however, is very remote at the present time. The yards of the British Isles are comparatively busy at the time of writing, but it is significant that new orders are just trickling in. Foreign competition was never so severe as it is nowadays from Norway, Sweden, Italy, and more recently Japan. Germany in the near future will be our great competitor. Already they have built the largest tanker in the world. To rebuild a shipbuilding yard now would be a costly business, owing to new methods of construction adopted the last ten years. Shipbuilders have enough to do at present to fight this foreign competition, which is more serious for our country than the layman realises, without starting new ventures.
Baltic Trade
Mention has been made elsewhere of the accident which involved the Alloa Railway Bridge in September, 1904. A small schooner owned in Alloa was being towed up to Stirling when she came into contact with the span support on the north side of the swing bridge, causing this support to collapse and bring the span down. A similar accident occurred in 1920, when an old destroyer which had been lying in the mud near South Alloa waiting to be broken up was floated on a stream tide and drifted against the bridge at almost the identical place. On both occasions the bridge was repaired by the builders of the famous Forth Bridge at Queensferry, Sir William Arrol and Company.
During the late war the two local yards were occupied by firms who were commissioned by the Government to build landing craft, but it was never the intention of these firms to establish themselves permanently as shipbuilders in Alloa, so the yards closed down at the conclusion of the war.
For a number of years between the early 1880's and the first decade of this century, pleasure sailing was common during the summer months, and it was indeed very pleasant to sail between Leith and Stirling on the decks of these vessels.
Pleasure Cruises
Messrs M.P. Galloway of Leith had some fine paddle-steamers, notably the "Edinburgh Castle", "Stirling Castle", "Lord Morton", and "Lord Aberdour". Tidal conditions on the upper reaches made it necessary to follow the tide every day. Usually about once a fortnight it could be arranged to have sailings from Stirling and Alloa in the morning and return from Leith in the late afternoon.
Galloways had two vessels with telescopic funnels to pass under the Alloa Bridge. First they tried the "Stirling Castle" with two non-telescopic funnels through the swing-bridge which has an opening of only sixty feet. To negotiate this passage a good speed must be maintained to make steerage way, and at the time the experiment was made the tide must have been really strong. In any event, it was miscalculated, for the steamer was badly damaged going through and had to be towed back to Leith. This would be about the year 1886. The writer finds it interesting to recall that he met one of the Galloway family in 1919 and mentioned this incident, which occurred when he was two years old.
Magnificent Scenery
As a result of this incident the firm decided to fit the two paddle -steamers "Edinburgh Castle" and "Stirling Castle" with telescopic funnels and folding masts which remained down until the passage was made to Stirling and back to Alloa. The sail up and down the windings was perhaps the finest stage of the journey scenically, with the Ochils to the north, Ben Lomond and the other mighty peaks to the west, and the Denny hills to the south.
Other passenger steamers appeared on the river, but were more or less employed on the lower reaches. The coming of the motor car after the turn of the century gradually ousted the river steamers. They lost their attraction to the public, being regarded as too slow, and besides the motor car could take people further afield.
Reference may be made to the officers and crews of the many Scandinavian vessels which formerly thronged the harbour. Business relations with the Swedes, Norwegians, Danes and the smaller nationalities of the Baltic were always most cordial. They were generally men of upright characters, and they appeared to have a natural inclination to be well-disposed to the Scots. Various religious sects were represented and tolerance for the other's point of view was always respected. I recall one Norwegian schooner which was entirely manned by members of the Salvation Army, the captain being an enthusiastic leader.
Stoical Russians
German crews had the same characteristics as the Scandinavians, although in the years before the first world war some of the officers began to exhibit a tinge of arrogance. What of the Russians? Somehow or other their bearing and outlook were different. They were friendly enough, but were more reticent and had a stoical strain. An incident which occurred early in the century may be recalled as a strange pointer to later developments in Russia.
A Russian steamer arrived at South Alloa with a full cargo of pitwood. Her engines were partly disabled - in fact, they could only operate in a forward direction. It transpired that the chief engineer had tried to get the defect remedied in Russia. He had visited various engineering works in and around St. Petersburg without success. Everywhere he was frustrated by officialdom, besides which the cost proposed for the repair was beyond all reason. So the chief engineer decided to take a risk and sail to South Alloa, fixing the engine to go ahead only, and he made the voyage successfully. While the ship was berthed a new ahead eccentric sheave was made and fitted in two days by Messrs Jeffrey at the price of £3. 10s!
Having completed our survey, it is rather sad to reflect upon the present bareness of the harbour. We would all be in a happier frame of mind if trade could be resuscitated at the riverfront, but facts must be faced. The Second World War speeded up advances in all branches of industry, notably air, rail, and water transport. Dire necessity is forcing better and speedier and more scientific methods of production in all branches of industry.
Fuel Development
One authority states that demand for electricity is doubled every ten years. Scotland's place in the making of electricity is made strong by the vision and business acumen and energy of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board, and in the not too distant future every loch in Scotland will be harnessed for this purpose.
Better combustion of coal is being hastened by research and enterprise. Oil is the greatest competitor of coal and makes the race for ascendancy all the more keen. fuel is also being commercialised - that of our resources in peat to be found in large quantities in various parts of the country.
Yet another source of energy is contemplated in the future - by far the most revolutionary - and that is the coming of atomic energy. I am sure this country is as far advanced in this science as any in the world, but it is difficult to envisage at the moment the great ramifications of this new source of power for the peaceful betterment of our own people.