The National tribune., 1906-10-18
FARM DISTULERIES.
The German Government Has Perfect
system of Inspection.

Congressman Hill, of Connecticut
Summer studying free alcohol. says
that the German Government has per-
fected system by which it is enabled
to watch 10000 small stills on farms,
at small expense and with absolute
certainty as to results. He says:
You see, the stills have t. be made
in a certain way, which includes a tank
that can be locked with a Government
lock and sealed with Government
seal. The small farm distilleries 30
not operate all the year round. The
distiIling is kept for the Winter months
when there is nothing else to do, just
as the American farmer chops his wood
or shells his corn in the Winter after
the crops are all in and he has the leis-
ure to do something other than straight
farm work.
when the German farmer has sort
ed out his refuse stuff. such as the small
and decayed potatoes or rejected frfits
he drops line to the Government that
on a certain date, 80 days hence, he
wants to begin operating his still. The
have to give 80 days notice. according
II the German law in order tnat the
Government officials may have all the
time needed to do their part Some
time during the 80 days an inspector
comes along and looks the still over TO
see that ii is clean and in good running
order, and especially that the tank is
empty. Then he locks and seals the
tank. after which the still is ready for
the farmer. He is or liberty 10 %
ahead and distill until the tank is full.
when the farmer has finally COM
pleted his distillatio1 and wants TO get
the money for his alcohol he notifies
the person who is II tur it from rn,t.
and as soon as he knows the date it
is to be removed, notifies the Gov
ernment, and an inspector comes and
removes the seal and measures the
contents of the tank and collects the
revenue. If the farmer wants ID de-
naturiZe it on the spot. he can do so in
the presence of an Inspector, when tn.
amount of the tax will be returned II
him. But generally the farmers sell
through the great central selling agency
of Germany, which denaturiZes at n
central point and in large quantities
and collects the rebate fr1m the Gov
ernment in considerable sums. Thus.
you will observe. the Gnvcrnme..t
agents do not spend any apprecia BILE
time at any one farm and one inspector
can cover large terriIory. Meanwhile
the central selling agenc- pays the
farmer on the basis III beverage alcohol
and rebates to him for al. which is de-
NdIurlZeu. IL Is L perfect acting SNS-
TEN, and is not eXnrbitautly expensive
for the 'iOvef1rrGnt.
There are, of ccr:sa, many farmers
who do not fee; tnat they have enough
of an ale biol crop to pay them to main
tain a still. These join with Others in
"a cooperative ,lis.ilIary. and that, RI
imagine. will be what man farmers in
this country will do. T. will work much
as does the old cider mill in the codn-
try here now. Tie farmers will haul
their alcohOl-producirg crops to the
still and will get their return m wha
is produced either in alcohol or
money, as may seem best TO meet thci:
desires and necessities"
Possibilities of Free Alcohol.
Congressman Hill says:
But of one thing I am more and
more convinced the more I look into
it. and that is that with the waste
which has been going on on the Amcr-
lean farm ever since there has been an
American farm, and with the abund-
ance of our farm resources we can
make alcohol cheaper than any Ger
man farmer can. In fact. I am willing
to predict that within 4 few years we
will be leading the world i'll this indus
try, not only in the production u alco-
hol, but in the invention of Appliances
for its use. The German housewife has
her flatiron kept constantly hot hy
means of alcohol and does not lose any
steps travelling to and from the stove,