POWER ALCOHOL

Hokitika Guardian, 13 April 1929, Page 6

POWER ALCOHOL

WASTE SUGAR PRODUCTS USED.

The preferential duty of 9s per gallon which has Ik'cii imposed by the Australian Government in favour of spirituous liquors manufactured locally is having’.the effect of increasing the distillery business jn the Commonwealth. .

Mr AY. H. Ross, chairman and managing! director, of one of the largest linns’of distillers in Scotland, is on iiis homeward voyage by tin: Niagara after (having spent six weeks in Australia lor the purpose of opening on behalf of his iirin and certain Australian interests a distillery in Geelong, Victoria. Under the direction of a board which is entirely Australian, the new venture was launched last iiionth. “Tlie conditions in Australia,’’ said Air Ross, to an Auckland reporter, “are favourable for the making of good whisky, though naturally not of tlie same quality as Scotch whisky. The dillerence in water and other essentials accounts for that.”

A An iinteresting statement which Air Boss made was to the effect that bis firm was also interested in a distillery in Queensland for the manufacture of power alcohol for use as motor fuel. He said they were working in coiijunction with one of the big petrol, companies, which was marketing their product. The interesting tiling about power alcohol is that in Queensland it is being made from molasses and other refuse from sugar cane which was formerly regarded as a waste product. The power alcohol was being used as. a. mixture with petrol for motor cars and all classes of combustion engine. It improved tlie quality of the petrol, and there appeared to he a big future for the industry.