BLENDED SPIRIT

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 49, 26 August 1933, Page 23

BLENDED SPIRIT

FRANCE FINDING TROUBLE

The petrol-alcohol-situation in France is somewhat chaotic at the moment, and very many ■ complaints are heard as ■ to tho quality of fuels distributed to the public (says "The Motor"). ■ By Government decree> wholesale dealers are-required' to buy from, the State, for blending purposes, a, quantity of commercial alcohol equal to 10 per cent, of their petrol requirements for the previous month. The idea is to absorb some of the enormous surplus stocks of commercial alcohol produced in certain agricultural industries. The alcohol is purchased by the State at 250 francs per hectolitre, and sold to petrol dealers at only 112 francs per heeto- i litre—the loss being regarded as a subsidy to agriculture. . A hectolitre ' is about twenty-two gallons. The Government has to dispose of some one and a half million, hectolitres of alcohol annually. The blend of motor spirit now distributed contains from 11 per cent, to 20 per cent, of alcohol, and, in theory, it should give^ excellent results. But the fact remain's that complaints of bad starting and poor acceleration,are heard on.every .hand. The causesl-are probably to-be found in bad,blending and a .high water content in the alcohol. blending'■'operation', is,"a "delicate one; and lack of •care-''on'the,;part of wholesalers may , acc6uiit. for the trouble/ ;:' ■'..,•; ■;'.■■ '" '■■''■. In Sweden a mixture.: of /petrol and alcohoi ",in the .proportion ; ,-of \75 per cent.- to 25:,per.,cent, respectively has been marketed, for:.a/long time. past.