Milford chronicle., 1923-08-24
WOULD MAKE FUEL
ALCOHOL FROM WASTE
Senator Ball Speaking At Pomona
Grange Meeting Suggests Change
In VOIstead Law.
FUEL OIL IS CHEAPLY MADE
He Says That Industrial Alcohol
Could Be Made For Tractor
Use From Corn Stalks.

United States Senator L. Heisler
Ball speaking before a gathering of
several hundred grangers of the State,
at the Fair Grounds, Elsmere, who
were attending the Pomona Grange
field meet on Tuesday, advocated a
modification of the Volstead act to
permit farmers to manufacture indus
trial alcohol from their waste pro-
ducts for use in operating farm ma
chinery and motorcars.
Senator Ball spoke at the dinner
which preceded the field meet. The
other speaker of the afternoon, was
L. T. Taber, vice president of the Ohio
Pennsylvania Joint Stock Land Bank,
of Cleveland, who spoke on the need
of cooperation of the farmers and of
the present high prices of grain and
of the cause of high prices.
Every grange in Delaware was rep
resented in the throng of several
hundred men, women and children
which greeted the speakers at the
State Fair grounds.
Would Aid Farmers
Senator Ball spoke eXtemporane-
Ously. Throughout his speech he en-
phasized that the waste of the farm
products could be turned into indus
trial alcohol at the low cost of 5 and
6 cents a gallon. This, he said, could
be used for the operation of farm ma
chinery and for other industrial pur-
poses. He recalled that Cuban farm
ers are producing industrial alcohol
from corn stalks at a cost of cents
a gallon.
The consumers of the United States,
he said, spent $22,OOO,OO0,O0O last
year for food products. OF this sum
the farmers of the country received
$500, 100000 and the railroads $780,
100000. or S8,O00,OOO,OOO in all.
"What became of the difference be-
tween the ,OOO,OOO,OOO and the $22,-
900 900 OOO?" asked the Senator. What
became of that $14,0O0,O0O,OOO That is
a question that affects us all. Who got
it and what for? 1 believe the govern |
ment should investigate the question
thoroughly"
Senator Ball also said there was
something decidedly wrong when
there were 100000 farmers in the
country and 100000 intermediate or
middlemen."
AS to the reduction in the cost of
transportation the Senator said he
was opposed to any legislation which
would tend to cripple the railroads
because such action tended to cripple
all industry. He believed, however,
he said, that all railroads should put
their freight cars into one big pool
so there would be no reshipping of
cars back and forth over lines, thus
effecting a great saving. A car would
be used under this system wherever
it was and by any railroad.
This idea, said Senator Ball, came
from the railroads themselves.
The farmers are losing vast sums
of money every year, continued Sena-
tor Ball, through their inability to
turn their waste products into indus
trial alcohol for other than beverage
purposes. Down in Cuba, he said, the
owners were making indus
trial alcohol out Of corn stalks for
seven cents a gallon. He believed al
cOhOl could be manufactured by the /,
American farmers from waste crops
of various kinds for as low as five and
six cents a gallon.
Senator Ball said he expected he !
would be criticised from some sources
for advocating such modification of
the Volstead act, but he believed it d
would be for the best interests of all )
In support of his argument, he said
be had found that the big meat pack ?
srs made no effort to make a profit on c
meats but on the waste or by-pro- \
lucts.
Farm Finance
Following Senator Ball, Mr.. Taber
spoke. Mr.. Taber, who was former Di-
rector of Agriculture in Ohio and for
eight years master of the State Grange
)refaced his remarks by saying that
he American farmer because of the
death of Mr.. Harding, lost
me of the best friends Agriculture
lad ever known. From the day of the
Presidents nomination, the problems Al
nd the distresses of the American
armer have been near his heart; he a.
rave sympathetic ear and official ap-
roval to every beneficial, rural meas -,
re that was constructive, ecOnomi- IL
ally sound and that would endure.
Mr. Taber traced the changed con- OF
itions as they vitality affect the far
Ter, in relation to each Of these prob T.
ems. Discussing farm finances, he
tated that the proper financing of the w
armer was the first step toward i'm
rowing methods. The farmer needs ~
lree types of credit-long time cred w
!, production credit and marketing
redit The local banker can take
are of the two latter needs of all III
lrm communities, but the long time pC
redit needs can only properly be Oh
andled by utilizing such agencies as
le Joint Stock Land Banks. He out mi
ned at length the services they could fu
snder. els
Mr.. Tabsr insisted that farm organ
alton was absolutely essential to the M.
orking out of these farm problems. Jo
e said that every farmer in Della Au
are should be loyal grange worker. inv