POWER ALCOHOL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 31 July 1926, Page 14

POWER ALCOHOL.

SUPPLY’ FOR AUSTRALIA

DISTILLERY IN CAIRNS.

Two problems of national importance to Australia may be solved, or at least greatly helped, by a recent announcement made at Cairns, Queensland. The ■first of these is the lack of internal supplies of power spirit for motor traction, and the second, the tremendous waste of by-products in the sugar-cane industry. The momentous announcement bearing on these problems was that a cablegram had been received by the Northern Power Alcohol Committee from the Distillers 'Company, Ltd., of Edinburgh, approving a tentative agreement made earlier in the year. This agreement was that the Australian National Power Alcohol Company should be registered with a capital of £1,000,000 in Queensland, for the manufacture of power alcohol. The company is to erect and operate distilleries at Cairns and Townsville, and a small plant at present in commission is to be taken over. The agreement was reached at a conference of a representative of the small plant, the Edinburgh company, and the Northern Power Alcohol Committee. The Scottish representative went to Scotland to place details before the directors of Distillers, Ltd., who are to furnish the plant. The cablegram announced that the directors had acquiesced iu the plans. It is .expected that the erection of the plants will lie begun as soon as the Australian company is floated, and the distillery at Cairns will be in operation next year. The Townsville distillery will be working in IfldS, and the smal plant will continue production on a larger scale. For a start, the Cairns plant will produce SOO.OOO to 1,000,000 gallons of spirit a year. For vears, sugar interests in Queensland have been trying to cope with over-production of sugar, and so far the limitation of cane permits has been the only method used to combat it. Thus, the new mills will do much to absoro the surplus sugar, and at the same time help to make Australia loss dependent upon overseas supplies of motor traction spirit.