CARS MAY RUN ON "SCOTCH"

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 18, 5 February 1937, Page 15

CARS MAY RUN ON "SCOTCH"

Alcohol Found Good As Motor Fuel USE IN EUROPE (Own Correspotident — By Air ih.^1) LONDON, Jan. 3. A new use has been found for alcohol. All over the world millions of gallons are being produced — for motor fuel. Even in America — home of the petroleum interests — a start has been made with alcohol fnotor feiil. In Kansas, a new works has jusfc started to produce 10,000 gallons a day. Britam used, last year, thfee tiiheC the amount of alcohol motor fuel consumed in 1938. Consumption in 1937 is expected to be double that of 1936. Alcohol is one of the many substitute motor fuels which Eur'opean countries are now feverishly deVeloping to avoid itnporting petrol in time of war, and to break the stranglehold monopoly of international petroleum. comhines. Oil 'is found, in ' commercial quahtities, in only & few , countries of the world. The wells will not last for evef. Alcohol can be produced every where from almost any vegetable matter — sugar beet, potatoes, wheat, pests like prickly pear — OVen old cabbages. France was the pioneer, 15 years ago. tSince then motor alcohol has made rapid stridee. In 1930 Europe used abollt 19,000,000 gallons". In 1935 consuiriptiou had increased 10 times to 191,000,000 gallons. This is still only &■ beginning, and represents no more than a fraction of Europe's total consumption of motor fuel, Germany is a close second, .Thanks to alcohol, and motor spirit from coalj Germany is now able to produce about 70 per cent of her essential motor fuel requirements at home. Exempt frotft Tax Alcohol fuel in Britain, like motor spirit from coal, is exempt from the Petrol Tax. This represents a subsidy of 8d a gallon to home-produced fuels. This country is, however, far behind the rest of Europe in the production and use of alcohol motor fuel. World motor speed records for many years past have been won on almost pure alcohol. For ordinary motoring, a blend is is used, but it is claimed by the alcohol fuel interests in this country that in the near future a high proportion of alcohol will be increasingly necessary, since tbis Will enable car manufacturers to increase engine power wjthout buildmg bigger and more expensive engines, and without increasing the amount of fuel consumed. # "Will alcohol help Britain's petrol problem in war time?" I asked."No," replied a leading alcohol technologist. "Our alcohol supplies would be much more urgently needed for ttiaking explosives," Scotland's whisky distilleries cbuld be turned over to making motor fuel. Motorists cofild break records at Brooklands on a few gallons of "Scotch." It is technically possible. But if the distilleries are ever diVerted from their peace-time activities, they Will be busy producing tbe raw material for inunitions. Methanol wood alqohol , which is closely related to the familiar methylated spirits, is of speeial imporranoe for making explosives.