“You don't understand, Malcolm. You can't send our fleet into their waters. They're sitting on nearly a quarter of the world's coal. Their consumption is nothing like ours. Yes, I know it's been picking up, they're using more, but we really need access to their stocks. We need to stay on trading terms with them. That is why we are officially neutral in this war the United States is having with the Canadian Dominion. We can't afford to confront them right now. Why, the needs of the Greenland colonies…” Malcolm had finally had enough of Prince Albert's going on. And on. “None of that will matter in the event that someone gives the Americans—because that is where it looks like she's going, Albert—a synthetic method of producing nitrates.” Prince Albert snorted. “They already have the nitric acid plants in Wyoming and Kentucky. Synthetics will take over, even if they are expensive. They've been getting efficiency of up to 5 percent now. And the best we can do in Manchester is 3.8 percent.
