The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-08-07

The passage by congress Of the act
taking the tax off denatured alcohol
has increased the interest in that ar
ticle for power, light and heat purposes
because Of its great cheapening there
by. The act goes into effect January
LIST, next. In the meantime the govern
ment will, through experts in the ag-
ricultural department, make a thorough
investigation Of the possibilities of the
use Of this commodity as fuel for email!
engines. This investigation will in
clude the experiences Of persons in
foreign countries who have used the
denatured alcohol for this purpose. By
the time the act repeating the tax goes
into effect the agricultural department
will be ready to issue a bulletin setting
forth the results of its experiments
and Investigations.
When this bill passed congress it was
generally understood that its sole pur-
pose was to give the public a cheaper
fuel for light, power and heat. The OPP
position of the Standard Oil company
to the measure was pointed to as a
sign that it was a good thing for the
public. Now some one has raised the
cry that there was a big job in this
move and that there has been opened
up an opportunity for a monopoly in
this cheap fuel by the senate amend,
ment to the bill which designated
gradients which may be used and in,
fact apparently giving precedence to
it under the law, and thus putting great
power to control the output of denatur-I
ed alcohol in the hands Of the manu-
f%acturers of methyl alcohol. There are
some other provisions in the senate
amendment to which the persons who
have raised this alarm point as being
liable to be taken advantage of for the
purpose Of controlling the production
of this article. They do not say mat
such is the case, but only that they
fear opportunity has been given for
the prevention of the very thing con-
gress was striving to accomplish when
it passed the bill and that it has paved
the way for a monopoly in cheap fuel,
equal. If not greater, than that Of the
Standard Oil, even if it accompllshes
the task of furnishing a cheap fuel.
We hope there is nothing in this
position and we do not see how there
tended can be made from SO many
articles, such as potatoes, corn stalks,
etc, and can be denatured by a mixture
OF other ingredients besides methyl.
the words of the act being "methyl
alcohol or other denaturing materia!
or materials or mixtures of the same
The senate amendment, which was
Incorporated in the bill and which is
the ground for the lear reads:
Provided said alcoIlol shall have
been mixed in the presence and under
the direction of an authorized govern
nlent officer, after withdrawal from
the diStillerv warehouse, with methyl
alcohol or other denaturinE material
or Materials, or admiXture OF the same,
suitable to the use for which the alCO-
hoI is withdrawn, but which destroys
its character as a beverage n renders
it unfit for liquid medicinal purposes;
such denaturing 10 be done upon the
application of any registered dlStiIlery
IN denaturing bonded warehouses spe-
cialIy designated or set aside for dena-
Fjn MI IranSN- vi M 1fa1lr .n1-
ditions prescribed by h commissioner
of internal revenue with the approval
of the secretary Of the treasury.
This was substituted for the language
in the bill as it passed the house, which
was:
Provided said alcohol shall have
been mixed in the presence and under
the direction of an authorized govern
ment officer, before withdrawal from
the bonded warehouse, with denatur-
ing material suitable to the use for
which the alcohol is withdrawn. but
which destroys its character as a bev-
erage and renders it unfit for liquid
medicinal purposes.
The character and quantity of the
said denaturing material and the con
ditions upon which said alcohol may
be withdrawn free of tax shall be pre-
scribed by the commissioner of internal
revenue who shall. with the approval
of the secretary of the treasury, make
all necessary regulations for carrying
into effect the provisions OF this act.
Notice the difference in the manner
and the conditions under which the al
oohol can be denatured. 1t is more re-
strlcted in the senate amendment.