New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-08
Substitute for
Gasolene Is Yet
To Be Developed
Alcohol Makes Little Progress
Toward Point of Com
petition

The rising cost Of gssolenc and tho
widespread recognition of the need of
economy in its use have lately caused
renewed discussion Of the advantage
o. dcuaturcd alcohol as "A fuel and the
possibilities Of its becoming an active
competitor with the product Of pc
trolcum This view of the situation Is
declared TO be contrary TO the facts by
7 a. NJ. Brccklcr in THE Journal of In
dustrial and Eng neering Chemistry.
II is stated that in 1914. eight years
after the passage Of the measure for
the stimulation Of the manufacture Of
dcnaturcd alcohol. the production
amounted 20 100000 proof gal
Ions. most Of which was used in the
industries. Here IT displaced the pc
3 table article. but with so little benefit
90 the ultimate consumer, according to
the Commissioner OF Internal Revenue,
that in his report he advised small
tax 10 cover the cost Of inspection by
government officers during the manu-
facturc
I'm 1918 the manufacture Of mum
tions had stimulated the production
somewhat. but the benefits to the
American people a. whole are doub .
ful, and had the alcohol used in this
industry about 100000 gallons paid
tax good portion Of our present de-
'cit might not have existed. according
80 "The oil City Derrick"
II is. OF course. as fuel for eX-
plosion engines that the public looked
Tor the greatest demand for alcohol,
and it Is the production OF alcohol for
this purpose which will eventually dc
termine the price
The total alcohol produced IN 1914
in the United States from all raw
materials was iS2.0OO.O0O proof gallons.
equivalent 70 about per cent of our
present gasolene consumption. BY far
the largest source of this alcohol was
grain. from which l42,OOO0cO gallons
were produced. TO produce enough
alcohol 20 cover our gasoleue demands
a, motor fuel would take IL per cent
OF our total cereal production or about
26 per cent OF our total corn produc-
ton.
The average cost Of alcohol from
grain corn has been l75 cents per
proof gallon for the last five years.
This probably is minimum figure. as
it is based on the cost in large dis
tilleries and allows for the sale Of the
feed recovered at the average market
price. The cost this season will not
be far from - cents per proof gallon
or about 50 cents per gallon. If the
alcohol is furnished in barrels cents
must be added 20 this per proof gallon
This cost could not be cheapened ma
terially. The overhead here figured is
about cents. So far as increasing
the yield Of alcohol per bushel is con
ceTned. the possibility Of an increase
Of only per cent at most. Il must be
remembered that these figures carry
no allowance for profit, selling expense
and freight
Assuming that alcohol was 20 conf
pete with gasolene al 80 cents a gallon
It would mean that the farmers must
furnish potatoes at 20 cents per bushe
and corn at an equally low rate. This
need not be expected. Even blackstrar
molasses. which was formerly available
Cor alcohol at . cents a gallon, now
sells at - and IL cents. At the lOV
price of cents the cost OF making
alcohol from il was 10 cents a gallon
The popular mind has become 50 OBJ
sessed with the idea of cheap alcohol
from potatoes that IL is forgotten that
the German idea Of cheap alcohol J.,
alcohol at about 40 cents per gallon lst
proof II is quite certain that such
high-prced alcohol would not compete
with gasolene at prevailing prices.
A. "A matter Of fact. the product d
Of cheap alcohol presents more diiii-
cuties than the manufacture of chcaf
gasolene. and tho experiments so fai
conducted are not 50 successful "a "a
show there is any hope for a CHEAP
fuel from alcohol for many years "a
tome.