Evening star., 1933-05-14

Gntine this week the side taken by
RApresentative Everett M Drksen o!
the sixteenth district OF Illinois ana
member Of the House District COM
mittee.
Mr.. Dirksen's statement OF the case
Is as follows:
This article is in the nature OF
rebuttal of the general statements, which
anpeared in quotation marks In last
SUNDAYS edition, which came from the
American Motorists Association, the
American Automobile Association and
the American Petroleum Institute. 1t
is not enough for gentlemen like MI
Keefe, the general manager OF tns
American Motorists Association, TO IN
weigh against this proposal to oleno
alcohol with gasoline as farm relief
measure by using mere plattudes and
seneralities or by citing figures that
mean nothing. They say that figures
don't lie but that there are lot OF
clever people in this world who know
how to use pencils and anyway, the
Devil can cite Scripture to his pur-
pose and I'm afraid that Is what Is
being done by the reverend gentlemen
who are attacking the alcohol-gasoline
idea.
Chemist Gets Idea.
So that the average reader might
eet a clear-cut picture Of this contro-
versy. let me say that out in little
town in Illinois young chemist named
Paul Beshers conceived The idea that
II some of our surplus farm commodities
could be converted into so-called ethyl
or grain alcohol and that alcohol could
be mixed with gasoline to improve its
fuel qualities, it would open up a vast
market for the American farmer and
bring about a speedy and conclusive
kind OF farm relief
First Of all farm products lend them
selves to the production OF alcohol.
Ethyl alcohol can be made from corn,
barley, sugar cane, fruit and most every
other agricultural commodity, but prin-
cipally from corn. Now. there Is used IN
this country annually about $1,000 000,-
900 gallons Of gasoline. If by law the
distributors, producers and refiners were
compelled to add per cent OF alcohol
to every gallon of gasoline, 1t would
create a market for approximately
$50 900 900 gallons of alcohol. and on
the basis of yield of 2l2 gallons OF
alcohol from every bushel OF corn or
its equivalent, it would create mar
ket for approximately 325,000OOO bush.
els of corn. When you realize that OF
the immense 2,500S00, ,000-bushel crop
of corn that is produced annually IN
the United States. about IS per cent
of that crop never leaves the 1arm ex-
cept in the form of pork or beef or
milk, the creation of new market Tor
corn via the alcohol-gasoline route
would be more effective as farm re-
lief measure than anything thus TAR
proposed and incidentally would be
farm relief plan that does not create
thousands Of patronage jobs.
Corn Farmers Situation.
Let's take a brief look at the corn
farmers situation, and this appneS 70
every other farmer and to every other
commodity In like degree. Autos, trucks
and tractors have replaced horses and
mules to such an extent that the grain
that was once fed to draft animals now
goes into the surplus. Twenty years
and more ago these animals used the
products OF 80,000,000 acres. All that
is now added to the farm surplus TO
diminish prices. Millions OF gallons OF
blackstrap are imported every year from
Cuba for the manufacture OF alcohol.
Formerly corn and other grains grown
in this country were used for that pur-
pose. The per capita consumption OF
corn-fed pork and beef has decreased
about IL pounds in the last Is years.
This again curtails the farmers mar
ket. Exports of corn-fed pork and beef
have likewise decreased and flnaIly the
importation of starches and oils that
are in direct competition with the same
sort of products manufactured from
domestic grain have increased at rapid
rate during the last few years SO that
the American farmers market is in
sad state and it is only in proportion as
a new market is developed that he can
secure genuine relief. We can pass
law providing for reduction in acreage,
but that does not give the farmer more
than a temporary remedy. We can de-
wise complex ways and means OF storing
grain. pegging prices. etc, but so long
as we fail to get rid of the farmers
grain the farm problem is not solved.
and this the alcohol-g gasoline blending
plan will do. 1t will get rid of the farm
products and create complete market.
To this end a number Of bills have
been introduced in Congress by mem
bers from the Central and Northern
Mississippi Valley seeking to compel by
law the mixing of alcohol made from
commodities grown in the United States
with gasoline by imposing larger tax
on gasoline that does not contain such
alcohol blend than is imposed upon the
motor fuel which does contain alcohol.
The bill provides for mixture of per
cent for the balance of 1888, 2 per cent
for 1894 and a mixture of per cent OF
alcohol thereafter
Oil Company Complaints.
Now the oil companies and those
who seem more solicitous about the Oil
companies than about the distressed
American farmer have suddenly availed
themselves c. every means OF COM
munication in order to apprise the
motorist and the American people OF
''the most iniquitous" and the most
preposterous" attempt that was ever
made in the annals Of legislation to put
one over on the American motorist.
The language in quotation marks ema-
mates from Mr.. Keefe, general manager
of the American Motorists Association.
Lowell Thomas, the big Literary Digest
man, has attacked this plan over the
radio a number Of times, speaking In
behalf Of the Sun Oil Co. of Philadel-
phia. The American Automobile Asso-
citation has issued most beautiful and
Illuminating pamphlet on the subject
and it would be infinitely more illum-
mating if it were founded on fact in
stead Of wild-eye conjecture.
one of the objections thus far advanced
against the alcohol-gassline blending
plan and establish beyond any reason
able doubt that not single argument
advanced against it is worthy of second
thought. that this anti-propaganda
comes from and is inspired by the
selfishness Of the oil companies and
their cohorts.
l. Let us examine the contention that
this is a penalty on one industry to aid
another, that 1t is an imposition OIL
the oil industry for the benefit of agri-
culture Let me remind the oil COM
panies that nearly quarter of a CEN
tury ago when the truck, the tractor
and the automobile began to dis
place the horse and the mule SO that
the American farmer, instead of using
some of his acreage to raise feed was
compelled to sell that surplus and
h1,u co1ipo there WaS No rOpon1qipt