ABOUT SPIRITS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 633, 9 October 1909, Page 6

ABOUT SPIRITS.

ALLEGED ABUSES. ' CUSTOMS AUTHORITIES'ALERT. . J?ho Customs authorities aro just now paying a good deal of attention to methylated j spirits. It may be explained that methylated I spirits aro not imported as such. All spirit I that is imported into the Dominion for mcthyarrives "in the pare," and the process of methylating such spirit has to bo dbno'iu iifl it reason—a very obvious one—being that the puro spirit carries a Customs impost . ... ? Dr . P ro pf gallon, whereas methylated spirit is released at Gd. per gallon duty. This I . n £ . the practice' of mothylatinc spirit in bond, and subsequently "cleaning" it chemically in order that it may, be utilised for purposes in winch only pure spirit should be used, becomes prevalent, and so abuses of the intention of the Legislature aro known to bo committed dailj '111 tho'Dominion;* •j-ho . act of-methylating spirit is a simple ° J"" gallons of pore spirit is r 1 gallons of wood naphtha and three-flighths of a gallon of mineral naphtha, cnVrif of „ttcse additions being to render for specihe uses where only tho S.uu ellouJd be employed. But even witli_this provision the effect' intended (by tie Customs) is not altogether achieved, as fnr°m V ca ?,.J'. e obtained in so. pure, a turifLi.s' 'i 8 adt ' ltlon to the pure- spirit nether d lscolo ° r odour suffi- ? f° Pu 070 " 1 al >uses, so' the Customs' go ft r refusing .to'-pass a wood St r-n t- 18 su Per-rectified. This is somewhat Gilbertian, though true. - Tho Depart'nslst3 ? L, less P ur e naphtha. Given «>,u a ? y ■? 1 l em, 5 t3 L , aro sufficiently expert to 5? the methylated spinV after nasiSTf «?',' b0 ? d - safii ? iGlltl y t° render it for harr-washes (bar rnm), per*hundred and one : tMngs in the manufacture'of which it should not'be used, one very serums use it is put to bv ; foolish &"}V$ in of; dilutedsalcohol. lm rLI (- y spirit-drinking are said r r° o comm ?n in the Dominion, the grave. ° M ' to it ~ tlle or thf°Cn<!tftm e t 'n 6 SSf 'H che ? ical branch of Department his: been'considering the tariff to-the-manner in which mil' defeated by some -unscrupulous JJ,' StrOnßermeasnres, they consider, are to meet the position, but before taking H?? i ps r> lnqu , mes are being made from tuj Customs Department of the Commonwealth. i f e , m W°r in which they meet the methylated- spirit troubldT What the local , antnorities propose to. do-is interesting. There * e $~ od , an i bad spirits.. One only has to take S Ea . m P' e bottles' to .find that out. v not smell aggressively bad. but. there are. others-ugh! One of these is pyridine, a-spirit derived from.bones and rot* tea vogetable'inatter. This is tho spirit which tno Customs Department propose to add to the pure spmt; ; m the Inethylating process, tho >object'being to render it totally unfit as a "beveiage, or for use in tho manufacture of periumes, 'flavouring-essences, hair washes, etc., wijilo. not rendering- the,spirit unfit for those .purposes for which methylated spirit is especia ".y <1 manufactured—cleansing fluids, painter's spirit,, boot polishes, etc. •' The .methylated. l spirit trouble as .detailed above gives a slight insight into the devious ven of action in which the. Customs. ' authorities are concerned, and the means that have to be. token'to detect abuses of;the tariff. Of course it is illegal to purify methylated spirit. .The Act of 1907 says: "Every person , is guiltr of an offence who purifies or.attempts | to purify, or is in any'way concerned in purify-1 'ing or" attempting to purify, any. methylated i spirit for any purpose whateyer." The person , who sells such purified spirit is likewise guilty,- 1 and . may be fined a sum not exceeding i fo* the pffenco. But the offence'is said to be , committed all the samo, as detection is Tather' 1 difficult. -... i