The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-10-21
DENATURED ALCOHoT,

| DENATURED ALCOHOL
A year or SO ago the whole country
| was talking about the wonderful bene-
fits that would accrue to the farmer
| following the enactment of the de-
| natured alcohol law, but none of these
| benefits has thus far been sighted by
the farmer himself. The trouble ap-
| pears to be that hardly anyone has
taken advantage of the provisions of
the law. Nobody Is using waste ma
terials in making it, and the few peo-
pie VINO have thought of using it find
that it is still too high for general use
Congressman Murdoch was one of
those who was most instrumental in
pushing the denatured alcohol law
through congress, and his paper, the
Wichita Eagle, has been looking up
some new facts about it's manufacture
1t is every day, says the Eagle, be-
coming more evident that the distilla-
ton of alcohol for Industrial purposes
will soon become very important in
dustry in this country. The denatured
article is limited in supply and the de-
mand is growing. Alcohol not dena-
tured and rendered unfit for drinking
now sells at wholesale for $2S1 per
gallon. A druggist in this city remark
ed the other day that the price that
consumers had to pay is pretty much
all tax, and there is no tax on the de-
natured article
The government has become so i'm
pressed with the Importance of de-
natured alcohol that it is urging dis
tillers whose business has been in
jured in some of the states by prohi-
bitory legislation to engage in the
manufacture of denatured alcohol, as
very little expense will be required to
change their distilleries for his pur-
pose. When the denatured alcohol
bill first passed congress it was feared
that the expense of maintaining a
government storekeeper and inspec-
tors would make the expense too great
for small disti1lers to pay, but an ex-
PLANTATION is given in a late govern
ment circular which fully explains
this point.
1t shows that industrial distil1eries
are those in which not more than 100
proof gallons CT spirits can be pro-
duced in twenty-four hours, and in
which alcohol for denaturation only
can be produced. The distiller must
give bond equal to the tax upon the
spirits that can be produced at still
in thirty days. operating at it's full
capacity. The proprietor of the in
dustrial distillery is not required to
produce 80 per cent of the spirits
called for by his statement; if he
accounts for all the material used and
all the spirits produced he cannot be
held for deficiency. He can operate
his distillery at such times as suit his
convenience. One or more persons |
or an association of persons may set |
up, register and operate an industrial
distillery, that is to say, 1t may be
operated by one farmer, two farmers, |
or a dozen farmers The operators |
of the plant may have all or part of
the product denatured at the distill
cry for their own use or for local con-
or may sell it to central
bonded warehouse. Alco-
hol, before or after being denatured. I
may be transferred from the distillery
In tanks or tank cars.
Regular distillers do not need any
as to the value of differ
ent materials from which alcohol is
obtained, but for the benefit of far
mers and others the government cir
cular gives this information:
'The spirit-yieldIng material in veg
etable matter Is its fermentable con-
experiment that 100 pounds of the
following products of the farm will
produce alcohol in the following
quantities: Rice, six wine gallons,
100 degrees proof; rye, barley, smelt,
corn and sorghum seed, five gallons;
irish potatoes, / u gallons; casava,
3 n gallons; turnips, AS gallon; arti-
chokes, 1 u gallons; sugar beets. two
gallons; sorghum or sugar cane, one
gallon; waste molassee, gallons;
grapes, 21a gallons, bananas, 1 As
gallons, and other fruits from 1 to
u gallons
ut will be seem" concludes the Eagle
that if corn costs Sc cents bushe1 the
corn to make five gallons of alcohol
would cost $1.00 or twenty cents a
gallon. which is a good deal less than
s2S1 This, of course, does not in
dude the cost of grinding and dis
.illing the grain, which is not very
great. It does not cost very much to
run small distillery. Two men can
handle it,