The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1907-01-16
The Free Alcohol Law.


ing dishes, automobiles, and for gen.
eral provision of light, heat and pow
er in manufactures, arts, and domes-
tic economy has been freely prophe-
sled as result of the withdrawal
from bond on the 1st Of January, tax
free, of alcohol that shall be rendered
unfit for beverage or liquid medicinal
uses by mixture with suitable denatu-
ring materials After its passage,
however, clause was found in the
act apparently prohibiting the general
distillation Of alcohol by the farmers,
in whose interest primarily the bill
was passed, which reads as follows:
- such denaturing to be
be done upon the application of any
registered distillery in denaturing
bonded warehouses specially desig-
mated or set apart for denaturing
purposes only, and under conditions
prescribed by the Commissioner of
Internal Revenue with the approval
of the Secretary of the Treasury.
The double expense Of distillery
warehouse and a bonded warehouse
certainly would not allow the small
pro oducer to manufacture alcohol for
his own use from the waste products
of his farm, as is possible in Germany
today. But since the Introduction last
week of Senator Hansborough's
amendment to the free alcohol stat
ute, providing that farmers might op-
crate small stills to which shall be at
tached suitable alcohol tanks, these to
be supervised under lock and seal by
visiting Government officials, Inter
nal Revenue Commissioner Yerkes
has made to the Washington CORES
pondent of The Tribune the following
authoritative statement:
The Government pays the salary of
the Inspector, and the farmer is not
charged g. cent. That's what this
Government offers to do, and it does
not make one bit Of difference
whether he makes five gallons, 500
gallons, or 100000 gallons day.
The Government will pay the cost OF
inspection, and not cent will be de-
Quoted from the profits of the distil-
Ter for that purpose. There is moth
ing on earth to prevent any farmer in
the country from going into the
manufacture of denatured alcohol to-
morrow if he wants to, and he can do
it on capital of s400, $4,000, or al
most any amount he pIeases.
Commissioner Yerkes has sent out
letters to all the commissioners of in
ternal revenue in the country in
structing them to furnish him with
information about the manufacture of
denatured alcohol as soon as 1t
starts in their districts, and he has
prepared to supply them with al
the additional help needed properly
to supervise the industry There IS,
Of course, nothing to hinder farmers
from clubbing together to ruild dis
tilleries and warehouses, as they
have in past years built creameries
and cheese factories. The question
is whether the business will be profit
able in all localities. The house COM
mittee Of ways and means obtained
last year from the books Of large
distillery In Peoria, ILL.,, its record
showing an average cost Of 42.36
cents a bushe1 for the corn used, ana
an additional cost for making 80 per
cent. alcohol Of 3.4 cents a wine gal
lon. or 1914 cents in all. But this
was on an average Of 4.76 p.oof gal
ions yielded per bushel of corn. I'M
proyements in distilling have increas-
ed the yield to five gallons of proof
alcohol to a bushe1, which would re-
duce the cost to 1874 cents per wine
gallon. The denaturing process would
raise, the whole cost to 20.5 cents
gallon. In the Dakotas and al other
western points, wIaere corn is often
IL and Is cents less bushel, the cost
may be greatly reduced.
A gallon of alcohol produces 10
per cent. more power than a gallon
of gasoline. The forthcoming report
Of Prof. C. E. Lucke of Columbia, who
has completed for the government
the first of a series of experiments on
the availability of alcohol for differ
ent types of engine, will show to what
extent alcohol may now be used as
fuel.-New York Times.
~r,~-r1I nav SDvENTTCTS