Evening star., 1942-10-02
Disti||ery Output
Taken Over by
WPB for War
Plants Will Make
Alcohol for SmokeIess
Powder and Butudiene

The War Production Board
moved today to take over the en-
tire future production of the Ma
tion's distilled spirits industry
and divert it to war purposes
the manufacture of industrial
alcohol for smokeless powder,
the rubber ingredient buta-
diene and other products. The
order will take effect October 9.
Directives, it was said, have been
issued to the industry to ship the
entire production of high Wines"
the trade name for alcohol from
which liquors are made, to redis-
tilhng plants for conversion into 190-
proof industrial alcohol.
The effect of the order will not be
felt Immediately as WPB spokes-
man estimated there is an inventory
of sufficient stock of liquors to last
for five years. The supply of gin,
however, will be consumed by June
of next year, while inventories of
blended whisky are not large enough
to last more than two years, the
spokesman said There is on hand,
however, he added, large supply
of straight whiskies-bourbon and
rye. Manufacture of gin and blended
whiskies was halted almost entirely
in WPB's first distillery conversion
order of February 16 this year. This
order diverted to war purposes those
plants which had facilities for max
ing 100 proof alcohol used in gin and
blend.
Half of Industry Converted.
Approximately half the industry
already has been converted to max
ing industrial alcohol The action
today brings the other half into
essential war work. WPB said the
entire output of the industry is ex-
pected to produce 240000,0OO gall
Ions a year of industrial alcohol.
The more than 80 plants, whose
output will be sent to redistilling
plants after October 8, are those
which normally make straight
whisky and do not have facilities
for producing 19O-proof alcohol.
The product Of these distilleries,
high Wines" vary between 120 and
140 proof alcohol The redistilling
facilities are being installed as
rapidly as possible in these plants
and it is estimated that by the end
of the year the high wine" output
will be reduced to 24,0O0,0O0 gallons
annually.
Equipment Being Installed.
WPB pointed out that in normal
times the industrial alcohol needs
Of the country are met by plants
designed for that purpose and syn
thetic alcohol plants. The distilled
spirits industry confines its produc-
ton to beverages. Industrial al
cohol plants formerly used black
strap molasses, residue from sugar
refining, while the beverage plants
used grain. The supply of black
strap, however. has been greatly re-
duced since large supplies of sugar
from the West Indies have been
cut off.
The equipment for making indus
trial alcohol from grain likewise is
being installed in the industrial
plants, the WPB said. When recti-
flying stills in beverage plants are in
operation early next year the COM
bined output of alcohol will be more
than double the pre-war record.
Alcohol, 1t was pointed out, plays an
important role in war production.
1t Is used as a solvent in the pro-
duction of smokeless powder and as
source of butadiene, the principal
ingredients of synthetic rubber.
Conversion of the distilled spirits
industry not only will enable the
country to meet all these demands,
WPB said, but also help solve the
distilling materials shortage by it's
use of grain, of which the Nation
has a surplus.