POWER ALOCHOL

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 12008, 10 December 1924, Page 3

POWER ALOCHOL

POSSIBILITIES IN VICTORIA. BRITISH COMPANY MAY MANUFACTURE. / ' ' ■ ' > ' With jeiO,ooo,ooo behind it, Distillers Co.. Ltd., of Edinburgh, proposes to establish a power alcohol industry in a big. wav in Australia. Mr A, V. Board, the company's representative, is waiting for the Commonwealth Government to offer certain facilities and concessions, without which the industry cannot be conducted profitably. A statement to this effect was made at the oil inquiry by the Federal Public Accounts Committee in Melbourne, by the chief officer of the Bureau of Science and Industry, Mr Lightfoot. 1 The chairman of the committee, Mr Fenton, M.P., announced that he intended to call Mr Board as a witness when, the inquiry moved to Brisbane. Mr Lightfoot pointed out that for. tho industry tp succeed here a bonus on brops of raw materials of at least 20 per cent, of # the market value would bo necessary. If .£50.000 were made available, it would provide a sufficient honuf) for tho cultivation of 20,000 acres, producing 250,000 ton's of .cassava, from which nearly 10,000,000 gallons of alcohol could bo distilled. Climatic conditions in Australia were •favourable for the growth of plants containing sugar and starch, from which aloohol can be manufactured. This is said to possess the advantage over petrol* of smoother running, absence of carbonisation, no unpleasant exhaust, greater safety ‘from fire, and a thermal efficiency of 80 Tier cent. ■' . ‘.Mr Lightfoot said that'no* experiment could be made until the departments laboratory had been fitted up, and they had no funds to do this..