Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-02-13
House Makes Important Amend
ment to Denatured Alco-
hol Bill
SMALL Dlsr,LLER,Es POSSIBLE
Dsnaturizins Plants May Be Estab-
lished at Different Points in the
Country Within Easy Reach Of the
Producer Dispenses With Ware.
house.

Washington, Feb. 13.-The house OF
representatives enacted what it is be-
lieved will prove one Of the greatest
boons to the manufacturing class OF
the United States, to the farmers and
to all those who use light and fuel. The
known as the "denatured alcohol bill"
was recently amended so as to give
the farmers who desire 1t the right
to make raw alcohol and denature il
for. light or fuel purposes, under easy
conditions, and is destined to create
q revolution in the heating and light
ing methods of the country. The bill
which was passed last June failed In
the one important particular of per-
uniting the farmer and the small man
ufacturer making alcohol and sending
1t to some central denaturing estab-
Hshment to have it poisoned" The
purpose OF the bill passed this week
is to still further reduce the cost of
denatured alcohol by giving greater
facilities for its production and dis
tribution.
While the act approved June Z 1906,
was hailed by the farming interests of
the United States as an unmixed bless
ing, assuring substantial freedom
from the kerosene trust" and the
gasoline trust" there were some de-
the production and distribution of the
denatured product. And it was for
the purpose OF correcting apparent
discrepancies that the law OF last June
was amended and which now permits
Of alcohol of the required proof may
be drawn off for denaturation only
from the receiving cisterns in the els
tern room Of any distillery for trans
fer by pipes direct to any denaturizing
bonded warehouse or to closed metal
storage tanks under regulations to be
prescribed by the commissioner Of in
ternal revenue.
The bill further provides that at dis
tilleries producing alcohol from any,
substance whatever for denaturation
only and having a daily spirit produc-
ing capacity of not exceeding 100 proof
gallons, the use Of cisterns. or tanks,
OF size and construction as may be-
deemed expedient, may be permitted in
lieu of distillery bonded warehouses.
This means that at central points thru
out the United States there may be
established denaturizing plants under
the supervision of treasury inspectors
Iii order that the consumer may be
brought close to the point Of manu-
faeture. Judging from the experience
of other countries where the right to
use denatured alcohol freely has been
conceded for from twenty-five to fifty
years, probably two-thirds OF the en-
tire consumption will be OF what is
known "as completely denatured"
spirit. This is what is used for do
mestic purposes, for heating, cooking,
lighting, for all kinds Of internal ex-
plosion engines. and for many manu-
featuring uses.
It follows, therefore, that with the
great area Of the United States and
the distances between the natural
points of production, the cost of
transportation, or assembling the in
gradients, will be one Of the largest
Items of expense. The wood alcohol
Industry is largely centered today in
the states of New York, Pennsylvania,
and Michigan. The cheapest ethyl
alcohol will be made from West India
molasses on the Atlantic coast, from
corn in the corn belt; from potatoes
in Maine and in the northwest and
from waste products OF sugar produc- \
ton In Hawaii. Louisiana and the beet
sugar states
In this connection 1t is interesting to
know that the bill which passed the
house on Thursday is a compromise
measure growing out of bills introduced
by Representative Hill of Connecticut,
who provided for the application of
the law to the manufacture of ether,
and other definite chem
ical substances where the alcohol is
changed into some 3ther chemical sub
stance and does not appear in the fin
ished product; by Mr.. Marshall Of
North Dakota, who wanted practical
adoption of the German locked still and
tank system for agricultural distiller-
les: by Mr.. volstead Of Minnesota, and
by Mr.. Gronna. of North Dakota, the
former favoring still with a capacity |
Of thirty gallons output per day and
the latter limiting the output to fifteen
gallons.