The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1906-02-22
The Tax on Alcohol,

! United states for the removal of the
tax on alcohol which has been denatui
allied 80 that il cannot be used as d
beverage. Tax free alcohol would be
a great boon to many lines of mannfac-
turing; it would permit of its use for
/ power and light, while it would furnish
| the farming interests of our country
with a new and profitable market Tor
portions of their crops. 1t was shown
at the hearings that the farmer in all
sections of the country would pront
were the making of alcohol encouraged
by the removal of the enormous tax
which now hampers it's production ano
restricts its employment for any pnr-
pose except as a beverage. The agricul-
turists voice the demand of the pro
ducers. and by freeing from taxation de-
naturalized alcohol a far greater indus
try would be endorsed in this country
than ever will result from the raising OF
beets for sugar In manufacturing INES
some of those directly concerned are the
makers of hats. furniture, pianos ana
organs, electric apparatus artlnciai Blk
and numerous chemical industries, ~
well as all those who are desirous OF en-
couraging a new source OF fuel ana pow
or supply that can be used as snosu
tute for the limited supply of gasolene,
the price of which has been enormously
advancing of late.
OF course, there are two points that
must be given great importance IN con
sidering this question First, II must
be proved that there is prsctical way
of denaturalizing alcohol so that II can
not be purified and used as a beverage
probably. Second. that the removal 81
II III
the tax on denaturalized alcohol Soaia
not result in a serious reduction IN inc
federal revenues Mr.. Rufus r tier.
rick, who at the hearings represented
the New England section OF the society
of Chemical Industry and the American
Chemical Society, stated that u NsH eh
tirey practical to denaturslze gram
alcohol so that its publication Wouid De
much more difficult and costly lhah -
the illicit distillstion of whlskey from
corn, sugar or molasses m are. an
which are readily proenraole oy al those
who are willing to run the risk OF oreaA
ing the law for the sake OF defrshdlhe
the revenue. To purify denatursilGeo
alcohol requires o compiea ted ana cost
ly process of fractional dlstlllatoh
There is. therefore, little danger To De
antici psted that the removal OF the taR
from denaturalized alcohol would re
suit in any large amount OF that article
being changed over and used a. beser
age. So far as the reduction In revenue
goes, that, too, should be no bar To the
suggested Liquidation The existing
tax Is so high that the amount OF gram
alcohol used for msch aniosl and manu-
featuring purposes il extremely limited,
and conservative estimates shoS that
the government would not lose hat
million a year IN revenue we're alcohol
for use other than az beverage freeh
from taxation
The nses to which alcohol can be put
are 81 widely varied, ~ manifold, lhat
only tho briefest review of the most I'M
portant can be made at this time Al.
cobol can be burned in lamp provided
with an inc lndsoent mantle so as to give
light That will bring 1t in direct com
petition with kerosene. The General
Electric Company at Lynn has been con
Quoting experiments with alcohol en-
YiDes. and the results have shown that
II is an excellent fuel for this purpose,
aud were tho tax removed it could be
substituted for gasolene in stationary
engines. automobiles and motor boats,
and would be particularly valuable IN
running farm machinery. Any one VINO
/ has given thought to the future OF the
explosion engine realizes that the supply
/ Of gasolone available ID a very important
( question. BY no means all Of the petrol
cum found in the UnItes States can be
counted on to furnish gasolene, add the
consumption OF this petroleum distillate
has advanced in the recent past FAR
more rapidly than has the supply. As
II ~ L.. aD
In the price OF gasolene, and with the
, further devolopement of motor cars,
and boats tho price will go still higher,
unless some substitute is discovered,
such a substitute, for example. as tax
free denaturalized alcohol one of the
great Industries that would be benefited
Ia that of the painter, for according Ia
/ the testimony Of representatives of the
painters unions, tho nse of wood alco-
! hol has, Ia more than one instance, been
attended by serious results to mem bers
of the craft.
What are the interests that oppose
the removal of the tax on grain aloo
! hol? Admittedly those engaged in the
production and marketing of wood al
cohol will not relish competition OF
this character, for grain alcohol could
/ 10 hoiu an cnodp, IL nut Choapct, ahu
would be better Then, too, the natuT Al
oil interests represented by the stand
ard Oil Company would oppose snch a
freeing of alcohol as 1t would result
In competition with at least two of their
pIoducts-kerosene and gasolene. la
Congress willing to take the position
that the agricultural interests of thii
country are to be hampered in the de
velopment of what would certainly
prove a great and profitable industry
for the sake of enhancing the profits
OF the Standard OIL Company and the
limited number of those who have en-
gagged IN the wood alcohol businessi
Entirely aside from the enormous ad
vsntages that would accrue 10 many in
dustries from tax free denaturaliEed
grain aloohal, the plea of the farmers
alone should on this matter be 80 over
whelming that Congress would have tt
listen to IL,