POTATOES AND ALCOHOL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8198, 31 July 1906, Page 3

POTATOES AND ALCOHOL.

;new industry for farmers.

On Monday, May 2!st, between i forty aud fifty numbers of the Hunts. Oi-amber of Agriculture attended a meeting in the St. Ives Oounoil Chamber at the Corn Exchange, to listen to an excellent paper by Mr Sandeis Spencer, of i

Holywell Mhuot, on "Potatoes and j Alcohol," sajs the Huntingdonshire Post. ( In tbe course of his remarks Mr j Sanders Spencer said that although j ' those of us who cairy ou the humdrum existence of land cultivating and stock producing may not have heard very much nf tbe manufacture I of alcohol from farm products, yet in tbe UuitedStates aud iu Germany •enormous quantities of spiritus have been unuually manufactured and used tor various purposes, not only iu the chemical trade but iu the lighting of the publio streets, the warming of houses, in the cooking of food, and tor motive power, In p'ace of coal, gas, petrol, etc TThis may excite a feeling of sur- . prise among6t those who think they have realised tbe marvellous possibilities iu connection with the products of the natural oil wells in the States. Still the fact remains that whethei from the illegal operations of the Oil 'lruats which have tended to enorramsly increase tbe market value of miaeral oils in the States, it has been possible to manufacture alcohol at such a price that its con--sumption for purposes other than digestive has not only continued for nearly half a century, but has increased vastly. Ethyl alcohol, which forms the basis of all feimented liquors, is the oldest and best known of tbe whole group of alcohol, and is generally <3isesignated by the simple mme of alcohol. It is also stated that alcohol can be manufactured front wood, from beet pulp, Jerusalem artichokes, carrots, chicory, corn stalks, the refuse from su ar factories and from many other vegetable sub3tances. Indian corn or maize contains from 60 to 75 per cent, of starch, acout 11.5 per cent, of sugar, and 4.8 per cent, of j dex trin. Barley, rye, oate, wheat and rice contain from 12 to 78 per cent, of stfroh. Molasses which as you all know', is the residuum in the manufacture of sugar contains some 50 per cent, of sugar. Diseased potatoes are equally as valuable as sound ones. Potatoes contain about 20 per cent, of starob. The above figures will enable you to form a rough guess as to tbe value of some of the substances for the manufacture of alcohol. The denaturing of alcohol or the rendering it unpalatable to human beings is now carried out far more carefully and thoroughly than was the case some years since when it was "discovered that a very considerable amount of drunkenness amongst the lowest classes in some of our manufacturing towns was due to tbe consumption of so-called methylated spirits or more correctly speaking denatured alcohol. Amongst the many suLstanoes used for ■le- ' naturing purposes are wood naptha, pjreadin, picolin, benzine, wood vinegar, gasoline, and aoetone oil (derived from the grease of the wool of sheep, and from many other similar products). Alcohol, or as it is commonly termed in Germany, "spiritus," is, as I have before remarked, utilised - to a very large extent in that country for motor purposes on account of there being no natural sources of petroleum, etc., in that Empire, and because of the certainty that the supply of petroleum etc., would be out off in case of war. It was therefore imperative on the part of the Government tu encourage the use and manufacture of spiritus in order' that the motor carriages used for military purposes should be as perfect as possible and that an unfailing supply of Spiritus should be available in time of both war and peaoe. As one means to encourage tbe use and manufacture of spiritus is to exempt from taxation all denatured alcohol used for domestic and industrial purposes, whilst rightly retaining a very high tax on alcohol intended for drinking, some 17 million gallons of alcohol are used for lighting purposes only. The wisdom of the former regulation very soon became apparent as the scientists and inventors speedily brought out improved systems of manufacture of alcohol and perfected the motors, lamps, and cooking aud heating apparatus. It is claimed for alcohol that it furnishes a beautifully clear and steady light and that for beating purposes it is simply perfection owing to tbe fact that it produces a perfect and complete combustion. As a proof of the almost general use of aclohol for all purposes in commercial and domestic circles it may be pointed out that a flat iron to burn alcohol has been invented anfi used in Germany, the oost being less than one penny per hour per flat iron. Denatured alcohol has been largely useil in the Southern States for more tlmn forty years; as prior to the war of secession the manufacture of spirits was free from all special taxes and supervision both on the part of tbe Union as on the part of the States which composed it. The natural results followed when the high price of coal was also considered, the consumption of alcohol was very great, amounting to somti 90 million gallons annually which was mainly manufactured from Indian corn. As long since as tbe year 1864 the city of Oinciunatti alone utilised 12,000 bushels of corn per day for distillation, to be used for lighting purposes. Alcohol was also largely used for beating aud lighting tbe houses in the city. In Germany the oost of manufacture of alouhol from potatoes is said to he about 6}£d per gallon, whereas the cost in the United States, where maize ia largely utilised, is reported to be as little as 4d per gallon. In Cubß, where the process of manufacture is even more cheaply carried on, owing to the unlimited supply of molasses at very little cost, alcohol is said to be fold at 5d per gallon. The tax on alnohol used for manufacturing purposes ia about 8s 6d per gallon. This unfair <\ charge on alcohol is most probably i due to the efforts of the Standard OiljJCompany, so that it should not come into general competition with the natural oil, in which they possess a piaotioal monopoly. But even the American farmer and those who

would benefit frota the reduction of denaturised alcohol, to' its natural level, have at last determined to make a persistent effort to rid themselves of this 1 most unjnr; tax. 'Tq'bs OmiHnned).