Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-19
DIVERTED ALCOHOL
PROBLEM DENIED
Prohibition Bureau MarshaIS
Figures to Prove Indus
trial Honesty.
BY REX COLLIER.

In response to declarations from re-
sponsible cources that industrial alco-
hol is prohibitions biggest problem. the
Bureau of Prohibition has marshaled
an imposing array of facts, f1ures and
arguments to show that alcohol di-
version is really one of its lesser wor-
rieS today.
just as the bureau was enjoying a
sense of satisfaction over Its announced
achievement in reducing the illegal
stream of few years ago to mere
oribble comparatively speaking, along
came Mabel Walker Willebrsndt and
Senator Jones of Washington and even,
according to the latter, members OF the
Law Enforcement Commission, with
feelings quite to the contrary.
The prohibition authorities hint that
the misgivings of these distinguished
persons arise from misinformation, mis-
understanding and false premises.
proof" vs.. "Wine" Gallons.
Some of the confusion. for instance, Is
thought to have arisen because of q
misunderstanding of the difference be-
tween proof gallons" and wine gall
Ions" in considering alcohol statistics
and nothing plays havoc with compare
tive figures so much as mixing the two
types of gallons.
A popular misconception-even after
the figures are all Strengthened out
is that America has no legitimate mar
ket large enough to consume the 1907
100000 gallons (wine type meaSure) OF
commercial alcohol produced each year.
Prohibition officials have looked into
the matter and differ.
But how about that $4,000, 600 gallon
lump in production last year?" the
skeptics ask.
That's easy" the statisticianS reply.
"The answer, roughly. is lacquer and
rayon. You forget that the United
States has gone lacquer minded OF late.
Every automobile that rolled out Of the
3 factories last year was cleaning in Its
thick coat of alcohol celMlose paint.
not to mention widespread use OF
LACQUER for furniture and household
purposes. Artificial silk also accounted
for a large part of the increase"
To illustrate the wrong conception or
the commercial alcohol situation at
tributable to confusion over the types
of gallons used in formulating Govern
ment statistics, attention Is called to
recent editorial in a New York news
paper contrasting the 81 100000 gall
Ions produced in 1925 to the total of
zoo, 1892 051 gallons last year" and con-
Guiding, anyone who thinks that these
figures indicate the normal growth OF
the paint and toilet water industries is
entitled to his optimism"
Inquiry showed that the figure quoted
for 1925 was taken from Federal re-
ports using the wine gallon as a meas
ure. while the later figure was the
Federal estimate in proof gallons.
Translated to wine gallons for proper
comparison with the 1925 total, the
production last year was 106,s60,458
gallons.
Alcoholic Content Differs.
proof gallon, therefore. contains
only about half as much alcohol as a
wine gallon. To be explicit, q wine
gallon contains 95 per cent alcohol and
S per cent water, while proof gallon
ia half alcohol and half water.
How much of the Toe, $50, 45S wine
gallons of commercial alcohol produced
in the fiscal year ended July last was
diverted from legitimate industrial uses
into Illicit channels?
OF course, the exact amount cannot
be stated in so many gallons. II the
prohibition bureau knew exactly where
1t went, If It could locate definitely the
leaks which, incontrovertibly, occurr,
officials assert there would be no Illicit
diversion of commercial alcohol.
But by process of elimination, that
appears to be entirely logical and quite
convincing the bureau has arrived at
the conclusion that not more than two
or three per cent Of the industrial alco-
hol now being manufactured goes into
cocktails rather than the paint, rayon,
perfumery and scores of other articles
for which 1t was intended.
w v. Under, head Of the technical
division of the Prohibition Bureau, has
spent a lot of time recently In consid-
Grafton of facts and figures bearing on
this matter,
"A very important fact frequently
overlooked in this connection" Under
said yesterday, sis that approximately
half of the commercial alcohol produced
in the past fiscal year was completely
denatured. so that 1t was not potable
and was impossible of being made so.
except by highly intricate and expen-
sive processes not practical for the boot
leg trade to undertake.
Denatured Product Not Factor.
Analyses of seized liquor has failed
10 show. in any instance, evidence that
This completely denatured product is a
factor in the diversion problem. It's
cheaper for the bootleg interests to
make their own alcohol than to try to
remove the denaturants from the alco-
hol known in industry as &C. D." grade
or completely denatured." Hence, we
ran leave out of consideration altogether
the 81 1857 COO wine gallons of &c. D."
alcohol used last year in anti-freeZe
solutions, cleaning fluids, varnish, shoe
backing and so forth.
That leaves Ass 900 wine gallons
of what We call specially denatured'
commercial alcohol to be accounted for.
This type of alcohol has q thousand
legitimate uses in industry. Unfortu-
nately, it can be made drinkable, and 1t
Is this alcohol which is being diverted
"Of the specially denatured product
more than 81 per cent, or 36,S51 ,474
wine gallons, went to 80 outstanding
American firms whose names are a by
word and whose regulations are beyond
question. I mean such concerns as the
Du Pont Corporation, the Ford Motor
Co. the Eastman Kodak Co, Lambert
Pharmacal Co, the American Tobacco
Co, and so on through the list.
Certainly no one suspects any of
these large firms of diverting alcohol.
We check on them, nevertheless, and
We have never found any cause for sus-
picion. They are all using alcohol legal
ly in industries that are above reproach.
Let us, then, eliminate these users
from the list. There are left group of
some $500 smaller concerns using ap-
proximately 10000 wine gallons.
The majority of these firms, all using
small quantities. are just as well known
to the public and just as reputable as
the companies I have mentioned as
being large users.
"A careful study of the group enables
most any one to separate these small
users into two groups-one composed OF
firms whose integrity is unquestiorec
and another made up of concerns whose
names are less familiar or strange II
the average person. 1t is found that .
grand total of 1872 best known users
large and small, account for 80 per CEN
OF the specially denatured product.
Small Concerns Not Dishonest.