4-1 



from two to three marks a hectoliter. Those binding them- 

 selves to the established retail price, which allows 20 per cent, 

 profit, receive the spirits from the "Centrale" at the lower 

 price. The trust advertises the sale in the papers and the 

 stores where spirits can be secured, thus forcing the others to 

 sell at the lower price. The merchants took kindly to the 

 plan and in October, 1900, four months after its introduction, 

 there were 25,000 pledged to sell "Centrale" spirits at a uni- 

 form price. Stores are being opened in many localities deal- 

 ing only in spirits and all sorts of lamps, stoves, etc., for its 

 use. From June to December, 1900, over 11,000 such stoves 

 were sold, and many more lamps. The management of the 

 royal railway of Saxony introduced spirit-lamps into a largo 

 number of their stations where gas and petroleum were for- 

 merly used and have contracted with the trust for their spirits 

 at a reduced price. The Prussian railway management has 

 also been experimenting, and has ordered spirit-lighting for 

 all the workmen's rooms where oil has been used. The Bavar- 

 ian railways have also introduced spirit-lamps quite exten- 

 sively. In 1900, the Prussian railway system used 600,000 

 liters of "Centrale'-' spirits; the Bavarian 189,000, and the 

 Saxon 50,000. Cities are also introducing spirit-lamps for 

 street lighting, and by December, 1900, twenty-five had con- 

 tracted with the "Centrale" .to supply spirits to them till 1908. 



In order to further the use of spirit-motors the trust has 

 established a special price on spirits for power production that 

 makes it able to compete with gasoline, when quantities not 

 under 5,000 kilograms are purchased. 



The significance of this increased use of alcohol for heating 

 and lighting to the distillers and particularly to the farmers 

 of Germany must at once be apparent. It opens up to them 

 an almost unlimited demand for the product of their stills. 

 If alcohol can be placed on the market at the present prices, 

 from five to seven and one-half cents a liter, there is no reason 

 why it should not take the place of a great part of the petro- 

 leum that is now used. Germany is absolutely dependent on 

 'foreign countries for coal oil and imports great quantities of 

 it, chiefly from America. If, by the general introduction of 



