April 16, 1935 (17th Parliament, 6th Session)

Hon. W. A. GORDON (Minister of Mines):

Mr. Speaker, I saw the article to which the hon. member has referred. It is by no means an accurate statement. The fuel testing laboratories in Ottawa operated by the dominion government are constantly carrying on investigations with respect to fuels of all kinds. There has been, I am told, considerable agitation lately on behalf of a company, with whose name I am not familiar in regard to some new process said to be designed in such a way that peat can be converted into a fuel for use in Ontario and Quebec comparable to and able to compete with anthracite. Matters such as these are constantly under review by the fuel division. If this process is as good as it is claimed to be I think it is something the qualified officials of the department should investigate. At the moment no decision has been arrived at, but I am looking into the whole matter and if it appears desirable to have the competent officials of the department investigate the peat fuel situation I think the government would be quite justified in authorizing a very modest expenditure in order to carry on an investigation of that character*