~ watt} 'Centre' of Miracle Gas Kitchen WENTY-THREE months ago the first na- tural gas from Alberta was fed to Ontario 'homes and factories along the almost 2,300.: mile pipe line which starts in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, In this short space of time Ontario has become the major buyer of Alberta natural gas, By early this summer On- tario accounted for almost 52 per cent of the entire sales of Alberta's natural gas, Ontario's insatiable demand for more power has in the postwar years seen the construction of pipelines to bring oil from western Canada and the building of numerous huge water- power and coal-fired electric power stations. Yet such is the demand for power by indivi. dual consumers and industries that this year it is expected that Ontario will use at least 25 per cent more natural gas than last year when the province was second to Alberta in use of this fuel. No less an authority than Carl O, Nickle, publisher of Calgary's "Daily Oil Bulletin" stated a few weeks ago that "Ontario is Can- ada's largest gas consumer in dollar value, second in volume now and slated to pass Al berta in consumption by 1968, The 1960 market forecast is over 115 billion cubic. feet, sold for $112 'million, compared to 83 billion cubic feet worth $80.5 million in 1959, Fore- cast for 1965 is about 219 billion cubic feet selling for $212 million, and for 1970, 307 bil- lion cubic feet selling for $298 million. "Ontario now has 485,000 customers, (All of Canada has 1,100,000 natural gas users). 'The 4,344 industrial consumers averaged 983 thousand cubit feet each in March 1960, the 34,255 commercial users averaged 48 thousand cubic feet, and the 446,526 domestic consumers averaged 13.8 thousand cubic feet." Ontario's consumers are using considerably less natural gas than Alberta users who have 'had that fuel for a longer period of time. Similarly Saskatchewan and Manitoba indus- trial, commercial and individual users consume more of the product to date than do Ontario Julia Meade demonstrates das refrigerator customers, But in the years ahead, based on the growth of natural gas as a fuel in Ontario, it is expected that the average user here will use considerably more than at present. Northern Ontario provides an example of the acceptance of the new fuel by individu-' als. Till the natural gas pipeline brought the fuel to the communities along the transcon- tinental railway line gas for home heating was 'unknown, Oil and coal were the main fuels in most urban homes. The gas pipeline, 'passing through the area on its way to southern Ontario, brought a new source of fuel. In the almost two years the fuel has been available, 15,000 'home-owners have installed natural gas and 23,000 will be taking the fuel by the end of this year, according to estimates of the North- ern Ontario Natural Gas Co. A number of com- mercial and industrial users are also taking the fuel now for their various operations, To service the various communities in power-hungry Ontario with natural gas, about 900 miles of pipeline were laid in the province last year. These were service lines from the-* main 34-inch line constructed by Trans-Canada Pipe Lines across the province. Of these service lines, 250 miles were for Consumer's Gas Co. in the Toronto area, 350 miles for Union Gas THE MATERIAL ON NATURAL GAS ON THIS AND THE FOLLOWING PAGES WAS WRITTEN BY BY JAMES MONTAGNES SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER, 17 sri a 2 7 Zz 777% %; #7 i Bitter winter weather failed to stop workers on pipeline Co. of Canada in southwestern Ontario, and 300" miles for Northern Ontario Natural Gas Co. throughout the northland. There are now 460 Ontario communities served by natural gas. While natural gas is new to most of On- tario, it is not a new fuel to southwestern Ontario where the first oil wells on this continent came into commercial production in 1858, Natural 'gas, which usually comes along with oil, has been serving the Chatham region for over half a century, In fact there are a number of old gas wells in that section which have been ex- hausted of gas and are now being used to store natural gas from western Canada. These are principally at Dawn, These underground storage depots will insure Union Gas Co. of Canada with ample supplies of fuel in case of an emer- gency or sudden demand for more gas than the normal daily requirements. Prior to the coming of natural gas to 'Ontario, many communities used manufactured gas for domestic purposes such as cooking and for hot water, This was made from coke, a by-product of coal, requiring vast storage reservoirs, Gas today is no longer manufactured in Ontario, and all areas are supplied with natural gas from western Canada. Ontario's part in natural gas expansion is a very large one. In all parts of the province experiments in the use of natural gas are taking place, new processes are being developed in all manner of industries, from smelting of iron ore to the drying of ink in printing. Expansion is rapid in all fields and in industrial uses. Every month sees some new industries utilizing this fuel, The growth of natural gas in the past two years has resulted in other Ontario power sup- pliers competing more vigorously for customers, both domestic and commercial. In some areas of the province oil companies will aid home buyers with a second mortgage, the ¢greement including the installation of an oil burner and the purchase of oil over a number of years. The Ontario Hydro-Electric Power Commission is offering special rates for home owners in- stalling electric power for home heating. 4