The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-09-26
SUMTER S. c.. WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 90. 1906.
Consolidated Aug. g 1881.
REMOVAL OF TAX on DENATU.
RED SPIRIT WILL CHEAPEN
PRODUCTION

Commissioner Yerkes and Congress
man Hill Have Been Examining the
Methods Of Regulation of Using
Denatured .Alcohol in Continent
and europe.
Washington, Sept. 20.-John W.
Yerkes, commissioner Of internal
revenue, and Congressman Hill, Of
Connecticut, recently returned from
Europe, where they made an e3ten-
sive examination Of the working Of
regulations for free denatured alco-
hol in Great Britain, France and Ger
many, and have furnished some in
steresting information on the subject.
Representative Hill says that, spur
red on by the keenness Of German
competition, Great Britain has found
it necessary to make much more
liberal provision for the use Of free
alcohol than heretofore. Where 10
per cent. denaturant had been used
fogmerly, only per cent will here
after be used, thus materially reduc-
ing the cost of supervision, which
has Heretofore been thrown on the
consumer, WILL, hereafter be paid
wholly by the government. They also
found that Australia had taken the
matter up and that in all probability
that country will pass a law similar
to the one passed by our last Con-
gress.
1T was discovered that France is
paying a bounty Of cents per gallon
on all completely denatured spirit. In
Manchester there are two large facto-
ries where denatured alcohol is being
used in the manufacture Of hats. at
one factory the proprietor said that
he paid between 80 and 80 cents per
gallon for denatured alcohol. They
bought their spirit on printed requisi-
ton forms and were under bonds to
the government for its proper use. A
government inspector come into
the factory whenever he choose to
do so. The manufacturers use the
spirit, recover it and redistill the
product in their own factory and use
it over again until it is used up. The
only restriction placed upon them
was that they were not allowed to
sell either the original or the re-
covered spirit, but aside from that
used it as they pleased.
In one of the London factories Wis
tied were four large iron tanks hold
ing about $500 gallons each on the
first floor. On the next floor was q
casks of spirit which had been
brought under seal from the bonded
warehouse. On the third floor were
the wood alcohol tanks, and on the
fourth floor cans of rethylated ma
terials. On the fourth floor
the covers to the wood alcohol
and on the fourth floor cans OF
methylated materials. On the fourth
floor the covers to the wood alcoho.
tanks were removed and the contents
gagged and tested. The quantity tc
be put in the tanks on the first floor
was run of through pies connecting
with first floor tanks and the upper
tanks relocked. Then going to the
second floor, each cask Of the grain
spirit was gagged and tested and
the tank covers, which were flush
with the floor, were removed and the
casks Of grain spirit were run into
the tanks below. The mixture was
10 per cent. wood alcohol, and 80 per
cent ethyl alcohol, made from mo-
lasses, and was what is known as the
ordinary methylating spirit used for
manufacturing purposes and used
under bond. The completely de-
natured spirit is made up by adding
to the foregoing three e-eighths of 1
per cent. Of benzine.
The strongest alcohol of commerce
in the United States is usually s5 per
cent alcohol, and the price varies
from $3.50 to $3.50 per gallon, show
ing that the greater part of the cost
is due to the revenue levied by the
government. The greater part of the
60,o0O,oOo gallons of alcohol con-
sumed in the United States is used in
the manufacture of whiskey and
other beverages.
The bill passed at the last session
Of Congress, designed to promote the
use of untaxed olcohol in the arts and