The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1906-06-11
What the Alcohol Bill Means
for the Northwestern Farmers

Washington, June 11.-since the
| movement for free, denatured alco-
hol began, members of congress. par
ticularly from the northwest, have
been besieged by their constituents
with inquiries as to the details of the
bill which has now became a law.
The farmers who are alike interest
ed with producers of the raw mater
ial and consumers of the finished pro-
duct, want to know in just what form
the benefit will come to them. Bust
ness men, contemplating the manufac-
ture of denatured alcohol, also want
information.
With the tax removed from alcohol
the question of supplying manufac-
turers is simple one, as there is
wide range of prices at which they
can use alcohol to advantage. They
have been paying $2.4O per gallon for
grain alcohol, and from 20 cents. to-
$3.50 per gallon for wood alcohol, q
greatly inferior substitute. Hence
30 of even so cent alcohol means a
tremendous benefit to them. In view
of this, it is altogether likely that the
regulations will provide for the use
of larger percentage of wood alcohol
as a denaturent in all alcohol for
manufacturing purposes, as the in
creased cost would not be prohibitive.
Tax Is Wiped Out.
There is nothing in the new law
which adds to the cost of manufac-
turing alcohol. The tax is wiped out,
and an appropriation is made to en-
able the government to pay the en-
time expense of administration and
supervision. 1t will cost nothing to
license a distillery or a denaturizing
warehouse.
The Importance of protecting the
interests of the farmers was brought |
to the attention of the president by |
Congressman Marshall of North Da-
kota and Congressman Murdoch of |
Kansas. The president fell in withl
their idea most heartily, and Commits
sioner Yerlses is also in complete SYM
pathy.
The placing of this new industrial |
on the market in competition |
with gasolene and kerosene is an en-
tirely new undertaking, and every
thing said in relation to it is largely
although, it is agreed by
all that the possibilities are great.
The New Regulations.
The regulations of the commission
er will provide for the licensing of
distilleries with a daily capacity of
100 bushels of grain, or about $50 gall
Ions of commercial alcohol The
small distillery will be on a par with
the large one The law provides forl
denaturizing in a separate bonded /
which simply means that
the distillery can have a separate
room completely shut off from the
proper, or a small building
near by, where the denaturizing can
be carried on in the presence of the
government inspector. A number of
plants could have a central denaturiz-
ing warehouse, and small country dis4
tilleries could send their grain alcohol
to central point to be denaturized,
provided a transit rate could be pro-
cured, although it is believed that the
lenaturizing can be done cheaper at
the distillery where the alcohol is
made, as the process of denaturizing
Is simple, requiring no complicated |
and consisting merely in
the mixing of wood and grain alcohol
by pouring them together, with the
possible addition of some other de-
material which would mix
readily.
MarshalPs View on Law.
"There is nothing in the law said
Marshall, "embarrass-