Evening star., 1933-05-14
In the Motor World
BY G. ADAMS HOWARD.

woke added operating costs because
of the deleterious effects OF alcohol
gasoline on various parts Of the motor.
This argument Is cut from the same
cloth as the old bogeyman stories with
which mothers used to scare their
children. Now the fact is that alcohol
gasoline blend is being used in 13
different countries. In England 1t
is featured by the leading oil COM
panies as the motor fuel that broke
all air, water and land speed records.
More than a million gallons Of this
fuel have been sold in the last few
months in Illinois and adjoining States
and every motorist sings its praises
Independent distributors are constantly
writing to us to arrange that alcohol
might be supplied to them in un-
limited quantities for blending pur-
poses and in every case where there
has been a report here or in foreign
countries concerning the harmful effects
of this fuel. an investigation has dis
closed that it was not the alcohol, but
some acid denaturant added to the
alcohol that was responsible for the dif-
ficulty. What will the A. A. A. or any
other organization opposed to this
measure have to say in the face Of
this cumulative experience?
g. The A. A. A. goes on to say that
the readiness with which alcohol abb
serbs moisture will inevitably result IN
separation of the alcohol and gasoline
in the blend and involve carburetion
and starting difficulties which will In
crease as the temperature goes lower" "
This Is q comical argument and shows
how far the oil companies and those
whose policies they shape will go in
setting forth misleading implications.
-ief no ufh
have water in ordinary gasoline ana
that water goes through the carburetor
the motor stops. When alcohol-gaso-
line with water present goes through.
the alcohol dissolves the water and this
difficulty Is obviated. That is why alco-
hol- l-gasolne blend is easier starting in
cold weather than ordinary gasoline
Contrary to the statement above, alcohol
and gasoline mix readily and remain
mixed at all temperatures, even though
little water Is present, and so lar as
absorption Is concerned, even the most
ordinary kind Of industrial alcohol Is
l99 proof and has so little water In II
as to be unnoticeable and there Is an
inappreciable opportunity for this fuel
to absorb water from the air. If this
argument were at all tenable, why is 1t
that the thousands of users who have
and who are using so much Of this new
fuel and who have been using 1t at
Temperatures IL and Is degrees below
zero with superexcellent results continue
to buy II and to praise 1t. 1t takes
something more than the single-car,
single-test experiment Of the A. A. A. or
any other association to match this
experience.
No Adjustments Needed.
4. They contend that major changes
and adjustments are necessary to the
motor and the carburetor and that the
alcohol will eat the shellac from cork
floats and cause trouble The actual
progress reports, on my desk, showing
the experience of users with this fuel.
driving every known make OF car, with
every kind Of float and carburetor, shows
that not a single adjustment was made,
no changes were made, and that not
even so much as the adjustment OF the
needle valve on the carburetor was nee
eSSary for the effcacious use of this new
fuel Against all these actual expert
ences of ordinary users, ranging over
many months. where is the soundness
or value of the empty conjecture OF
any association or group that has made
a few individual tests, determined from
the outset to find fault rather than
to conduct such tests without bias?
5. They contend that the farmers
do not favor this proposal. If this Is
true, how strange, then that the Prairie
Farmer, the National Grange, the Amer
| lean Farm Bureau Federation and its
! State aff1liates, the Farmers Equity
| Union, the Farmers National Grain
: Corporation and the many State farm
associations have unauali6edly Endorsed
this plan. These organizations are the
l for ha AvVon Mi a al
| Are these able farm leaders so visionary
or so lacking in discernment and good
| judgment as to have been completely
misled as to the soundness Of this plan
particularly SO after they have spent
many months thoroughly investigating
its value to the farmer, its feasibility
and its practicability?
6. The American Motorists Association
stresses the fact that this measure will
entail a tremendous burden upon the
American motorist and that lit Is esti-
mated that use of alcoholic blended motor
| fuel will increase motor fuel cost from
The quotation Is from Mr.. Keefe. the
general manager of A. M. A. If Mr.
Keefe needs a latitude of 5000, 900 00C
| between the high and the low estimate
to make sure that he Is somewhere close
to the fact, We might just as well throw
| his conjecture in the waste basket sc
| far as its practical value is concerned.
The American Automobile Association
! goes further than Mr. Keefe. They es-
innate the increased fuel cost at '$463,-
/ 100000 and then add s146,000,000 more
for decreased efficiency and arrive al
| the strange total Of 100000, 900 as the
increased cost to American motorists
It's amazing what strange estimates
/ M
| the facts? The bill, as introduced, pro-
vides for an additional 1-cent tax on all
gasoline not blended with at least !
per cent of alcohol until the end ol
1888. 2 cents on all motor fuel moi
| blended with at least 2 per cent ot
alcohol up to the end Of 1884, and
cents per gallon on all motor fuel there
after that does not contain at least
per cent of alcohol. Now the provision!
of this bill will not apply and no ad.
ditional tax will be imposed If the
cent Of alcohol. To add and carry all
the expense incident to the addition o,
per cent Of alcohol to every gallon o1
motor fuel will cost not to exceed
cents per gallon. If every gallon o.
gasoline sold in the United States there.
fore contained per cent Of alcohol thu
total cost would be $340, ,000, 900 with
out figuring what can be offset agains
this cost. The fact is as demonstrated
by and attested to by the thousands O.
vehicle owners who are now burning
alcohol gasoline and will continue tt
do so in increasing quantities that gaso
line containing per cent Of alcohol il
premium fuel which gives smoother
motor performance better starting anG
acceleration, less carbon more mileage
than the modern premium fuels con
tanning benzol or tetraethyl lead. O1
course the oil companies are not ex
pected to admit the truth Of this state
ment. but there stares them in he fac
the record of an actual continuing ex
perience by motorists which they car
neither deny nor refute. This improve
ment Of gasoline fuel IS secured by add
ing the alcohol to the ordinary straigh
run motor fuel with the result that 20,
get a premium fuel for an additiona
2 cents per gallon. This would still