The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1933-03-17
If YOU CAN'T GET APRICE
FOR YOUR WHEAT-DRINKT IT

Plan. Was it not for the fact that
this plan has been given quite a
bit Of space in papers and also
pamphlets, we would not waste
any time and space on it. Who
this Besher is we don't know and
we don't care, to US he looks to
be some nut who has managed to
get lot of publicity out of a fool
ish idea.
Even last week Carl Peterson
contributed a long article in the
Plentywood Herald, boosting this
Beeher Plan, and says:
at offers simple solution of
the farm problem thereby re-
storing the farm dollar to its full
value. The plan is childishly
simple"
Sure it is simple. Just like
rolling off a log. All we got TO
do is to mix 10 per cent alcohol
with our gasoline and burn it in
our cors and tractors. Then we
will have prosperity and all our
troubles will be over. Funny we
didn't think of that before. It's
so "childishly simple" And here
we have gone along all these years
and didn't know what to do. And
Roosevelt went to all the trouble
of closing the banks, when putting
little alcohol in our cars and
bum it would have fixed it all.
Let US take a second look at
this plan they come cut and try
to fool the people with. Instead
of using the words "childishly sim
pie" l would rather call it "child-
ishly crazy" The idea of the plan
is to do away with surplus farm
produce by manufacturing it into
alcohol, mix 10 per cent with cur
present fuel and burn it in trac-
tors and cars. Alcohol can be made
out of almost anything growing,
such as wheat, corn, potatoes, cab
J bage, etc.
Right at the present time l take
it for granted that the alcohol we
use is cur radiators is manufac-
tured out Of the very cheapest of
stuff from which it can be made,
and what do you pay for a gal
Ion? You pay the price Of -four
gallons of gasoline. The price is
too high but it is a case of take
it or leave it, the same as it Is
with gasoline, and ] doubt that
Carl Peterson CT any other pro-
moter of the idea are mixing very
much alcohol into their gas in or
der to bring about prosperity.
1t might be said in favor Of the
plan that by manufacturing alco-
hol en- a bigger scale, it can be
produced cheaper. At the present
time gasoline is sold in Plenty
wood at % cents per gallon, but il
is produced at profit at the re-
finery for three cents, and there
never will be time when alcoho
can be produced for less than sew.
eral times that amount, no matter
if the cheapest kind of material i.
used.
Wheat is what we are most in.
terested in here, so let us take 8
look and see what will happen i
we make our surplus into alcoho
and burn it. One bushel of whea
will produce two and one-fourtl
gallons of alcohol. If bushel O
wheat sells for 30 cents, then tn,
amount going into one gallon i
worth Is cents. This wheat vii
have to be hauled, shipped an,
made into alcohol at the plant
which will cost at least five cents
Then we have gallon of alcoho
at the point of production at Il
cents, compared with gallon o
gasoline at the refinery at thre'
cents.
Before we get the gallon Of gaso
line another 20 cents is added I
1t in the form of tax, freight ant
profit. The very same thing vii
happen to the alcohol, and we hav
now a gallon Of alcohol costing 8
cents with wheat at 30 cents pc
bushel.
Suppose it would bring wheat
. up to dollar, then it would tax
"a cents worth Of wheat 10 pre-
duce that gallon, it would be sol
for SO cents, and we would be mis-
ing 90 cent alcohol with % cen
I gasoline IN order to bring abou
! prosperity.
People who propose that W
should burn up our food, and ere
, ate for ourselves a lot OF extr
and useless work, while oil is nor
; pouring out Of the ground withou
much effort. mus have IA
MIGHTY short of brain material.
II we produce too much food W
should be entitled to a rest will
we eat II uD. but somehow it doe
not work that wav vet. Burnin
i alcnhof nn1 Sws~H~fx~. hanw &C. -