Tairgim:
Go ndeontar suim ná raghaidh thar £12,750 chun slánuithe na suime is gá chun íoctha an Mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1945, chun Oifig Thaighde Eolaíochta Ré na Práinne, maraon le Deontas-i-gCabhair.
That a sum not exceeding £12,750 be granted to complete the sum necessary to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending the 31st day of March, 1945, for the Emergency Scientific Research Bureau, including a Grant-in-Aid.
The total provision for the year is £19,250 as compared with £32,850 for last year. The reduction of £13,600 is due to the decrease in the Grant-in-Aid provided under sub-head B, and arises mainly from the transfer to the Turf Development Board, Limited, of the work on the production of charcoal at Turraun. The programme of investigation for the year involves smaller decreases under some other headings, while increases are expected under such headings as producers, medical supplies, and explosives. The total volume of work is not expected to be any lower than last year, as some of the larger investigations are being conducted in collaboration with other Departments which will bear the costs involved.
The Emergency Scientific Research Bureau continues to deal with technical problems arising from the emergency, and to advise on difficulties due to shortages of materials. The Grant-in-Aid is intended to cover the cost of such investigations and researches as may prove necessary, particularly in connection with problems relating to fuel, broadcasting, essential medical supplies, iron and steel, adhesives, fertilisers, explosives, and office work of the Bureau.
Work has proceeded on the provision of substitute fuels for transport. Improvements in the turf charcoal plant at Turraun have resulted in an output of high-grade charcoal at a rate of about 20 tons per week. This fuel has been used in cross-draught producer plants with satisfactory results. The responsibility for the operation of the plant was transferred to the Turf Development Board, Limited, on the 1st December, 1943, but the Bureau continues to supervise the technical aspects of the work. Attention is being given to the problems relating to the recovery and utilisation of the by-products of carbonisation. The examination of the manufacture of charcoal in hand-operated kilns has been continued, and the Bureau memorandum on the production of this fuel in portable kilns and in pits has been issued to a large number of inquirers.
Improvements were made in a cross-draught producer fitted to a two-ton lorry, and satisfactory results were obtained from running tests. The consumption of machine-won turf charcoal was 1.5 lbs. per mile. Further investigations with a view to improving the design and effectiveness of producer units will be continued. The experience gained in the course of this investigation has enabled the Bureau to give advice to Government Departments, and to deal with a number of outside technical inquiries. Investigations are continuing on the properties of peat tar, and substitute materials for use in the manufacture of polishes and certain supplies required by the boot industry have been obtained from it. The Bureau's work on the production of phosphorus has proceeded satisfactorily, and the size of the plant has been increased.
A spectrographic apparatus for the analysis of alloy steels has been set up, and has proved of value in the identification of steel samples. Work on the home production of ferro-silicon, which is required by the foundries, was brought to the semi-technical scale, but in view of improvements in the supply position, trial of the process on a commercial scale was not justified. Experiments are in progress on the home manufacture of corrugated steel knives for the cutting of beet in the sugar factories.
The Bureau assisted in an investigation of the possible effects on the health of the community of 100 per cent. extraction flour. An investigation has recently been carried out by the flour millers, under the auspices of the Bureau, in connection with certain difficulties in home baking with the white flour as at present manufactured.
Investigations completed in regard to the manufacture of storage batteries led to the general conclusion that acceptable substitutes for imported batteries could, if necessary, be produced at home. A commercial firm is undertaking, with the Bureau's assistance, the remelting of scrap for the production of battery plates.
The provision of certain essential medical supplies continues to have attention. It has been found that the supply of liquid insulin can be maintained, in case of shortage, by importing a reserve stock of the solid material for dissolving and packing in this country. A full-scale plant for the production of either from alcohol has been erected by Monarchana Alcóil na h-Éireann, Teóranta, working in collaboration with the Bureau, and investigations are now proceeding on the purification of the technical either produced in the course of experimental runs, so as to render it suitable for medical use.
With a view to the production of an improved phosphatic fertiliser, the Bureau carried out experiments on a semi-technical scale on the heat treatment of Clare phosphate rock, either alone, or with sodium carbonate or lime. The products obtained have been tested in the laboratory, and it is hoped to carry out extended field trials with the most promising of the materials. Consideration has also been given to the production of calcium metaphosphate—for use as a fertiliser— from Clare phosphate, and it is hoped to conduct some experiments on this matter during the present year. The better use of pyritic ores from Avoca in the production of sulphuric acid, required in the manufacture of superphosphate, is also being studied.
Several investigations are in progress in regard to the home manufacture of adhesives for various industrial purposes, including boot and shoe manufacture. Formulae have been developed for liquid glue, a general adhesive of the nitro-cellulose type, an adhesive for use with cellophane and an adhesive for abrasive papers.
The uncertainty in regard to imports of explosives has necessitated an examination of the possibilities of the home manufacture of substitute materials, for example, liquid oxygen, gunpowder and potassium chlorate. The manufacture of potassium chlorate has been studied on the semi-technical scale, and arrangements are being made for production on the large scale at an early date.
Difficulties arose in connection with the supply of a preservative for fishing nets, and the Bureau has collaborated with the Irish Sea Fisheries Association, Limited, in developing a substitute process, which is now undergoing practical tests.
Various other investigations are being conducted with a view to relieving difficulties arising from emergency conditions. Attention is being given to the possibilities of improved methods for the production of acetone, a solvent required in many industrial processes. Methods were developed for the preparation of butyl acetate and amyl acetate, and work is in progress on the production of other organic solvents required in industry. Experiments recently conducted on the manufacture of sodium hypochlorite solution are expected to provide against a failure of imported supplies of the chlorine products required by public authorities and creameries for water purification. The geophysical survey is proceeding in collaboration with the Geological Survey, and a study of magnetic anomalies in the down-faulted area of the Carrickmacross-Kingscourt gypsum field is being made. Numerous difficulties were encountered in attempts to increase the power of the transmitter for shortwave broadcasting but it is hoped to continue the work in the present year.
The number of problems put before the Bureau by industrial firms continues to grow, indicating that the value of scientific advice and assistance is appreciated in industry. A variety of minor investigations, resulting from inquiries of this nature, were successfully conducted. These included the re-silvering of mirrors for cinema projectors, the manufacture of axle and cart greases, the production of sewing wax and of a thread lubricant for use in the boot and shoe industry, the manufacture of shoe polish, the polishing of spectacle lenses, and the production of certain supplies for use in hat manufacture. The Bureau has also co-operated with Government Departments in the examination of such subjects as the drying of potatoes for pig food, the dehydration of vegetables, economy in the use of lubricating oil, and investigations necessary to ensure that materials likely to be of value to industry do not leave the country.
As I explained on previous occasions when introducing this Vote, the Bureau's procedure when approached by a firm with a problem is to examine the matter and, from the experience and information available, to give advice to the firm on its difficulty. This advice is given free. If the problem requires investigation the firm or industry for whose benefit the work has been conducted is expected, where appropriate, to contribute to the cost. In most of these investigations the results obtained are likely to be of value in other directions, and the charges made are only a proportion of the total expenses. Some of the investigations, however, are expected to benefit one concern only, and in these instances a larger proportion of the expenses is refunded.
The Bureau has received every possible assistance from Government Departments and from the authorities and staffs of the universities. Industrialists, scientists and private individuals have given considerable help, and much of the work of the Bureau would not be possible without this co-operation.