The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-10-02
IFREE ALCOHOL
PUBLIC boon
ETgEN.. .
THE3WAsTE OF AMERICAN FARMS
MAY Be TURNED INTO CASH
UNDER THE NEW Law.

Z Wilson Is taking the hfSt steps to"tEa
the establishment Of a laboratory for
the testing Of apparatus for the use
Of denatured alcohol. He is establish
ing it on the assumption that it is
his duty to assist in the discovery Of
burners that viii consume that kind
'Sof fuel ana do 1t in such way that
there will be a permanent market for
the denatured product.
The Secretary is firm believer In
the theory that an American farmer
in a few. years win become rival Of
the Standard OIL Company in the mar
r kets Of the world.
The apparatus for the burning of
alcohol will be tested in scientific
manner, with but little cost to the in;
yentors. There is big demand for
burners that will bring out all the
best units contained in alcohol. The
experiments made in Europe have not
resulted in the most efficient burners
imaginable. Secretary Wilson believes
that American inventors will be able
10 solve the problem Of how to burn
alcohol in way that will make 1t a
competitor with oil, but the inventors
will need encouragement and he is
getting ready to give 1t.
Potatoes are the vegetable from
which the Secretary expects the farm
y ers to make the alcohol that Is to
drive farm machinery light the
houses Of people not living near gas
and electric light plants and furnish
the fuel that will be cheaper than gas
or coal. There is a variety that is
not edible that is said to be rich in
the materials that will make alcohol,
and with that the departments will
also conduct experiments.
In Effect Yesterday.
The denatured alcohol law west in.
to effect yesterday and the Treasury
Department is making regulations for
the new industry.
Representative E. ]. Hill, of Con
nectfcut, is in Washington assisting
the Commissioner of Internal Revenue
to formulate the rules under which
the free alcohol law is to go into op,
Grafton. Mr.. Hill went abroad with
Commissioner Yerkes and spent most
Of the summer in making study OF
the application of the denaturized al
cohol laws in the European countries,
where consistent attempt is being
made to develop the production OF al
cohol for industrial purposes. Ger
many was the country in which the
most progress was found to have been
made, and Mr.. Hill has many things
to say Of the interesting things he
found there.
Mr.. Hill was asked about the many
small farm distilleries to be found in
Germany, some of which, according
to government reports, do not make
more than dozen or Is gallons of al
cohol in a. year.
isn't 1t exceedingly expensive for
the German government TO keep track
Of 10000 farm distilleries, many OF
them being so small that 1t cannot
nay to send an inspector to them"
he was asked.
System in Germany.
"Not at ALL" said Mr.. Hill. "The
German government has that matter
down to fine point and has no more
trouble collecting the revenue from
those small plants than our govern
ment has in collecting it from the
big distilleries of Kentucky. You see,
the stills have to be made in GER
tain way, which includes tank that
can be locked with a government lock
and sealed with a government seal.
The small farm distillerles do not op.
crate all the year round. The distil'
ling 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 leisure 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 re-
jected fruits, he drops line to the
government that on certain date, 80
days hence, he wants to begin operat.
ing his still. They have to give 30
days notice, according to the German
law, in order that the government Off
+ Gals may have all the time needed to
do their part. Sometime during the
30 days an inspector comes along and
looks the still over to see that 1t Is
clean and in good running order, and
especially that the tank is empty.
Then he locks and seals the tank, at.
ter which the still is ready for the
farmer. He is at liberty to go ahead
and distill until the tank is full.
A Central SeIIInd AGENCY,