474  Alcohol:  Its  Relation  to  Science,  Etc.       { ^''Yniy!'?9To. 
yet  we  who  realize  its  value  to  science  and  the  industrial  arts  should 
not  hesitate  to  demand  that  it  shall  be  available  for  every  legitimate 
purpose  and  on  terms  that  represent  a  minimum  of  expense  and 
hardship  to  the  user. 
USE  OF  DKNATURKD  AIvCOHOL. 
No  development  in  the  utilization  of  alcohol  is  more  significant 
of  its  great  importance  to  industry  than  the  enormous  increase  in 
the  consumption  of  denatured  spirits  since  the  passage  of  the  so- 
called  free  alcohol  law  of  1906.  It  was  my  pleasant  task  to  assist 
the  manufacturers  of  the  country  in  the  efforts  to  secure  the  passage 
of  that  statute  and  it  has  been  a  matter  of  great  satisfaction  to  me 
to  note  the  rapid  development  of  the  use  of  denatured  spirits  under 
its  beneficent  provisions.  Beginning  in  1907  with  a  total  con- 
sumption of  completely  and  specially  denatured  alcohol  of  1,780,- 
276  wine  gallons,  the  total  rose  in  1914  to  10,404,975  gallons.  In 
1 9 14  the  World  War  began  and  the  demand  for  alcohol,  first,  for 
the  manufacture  of  smokeless  powder,  and,  second,  for  the  produc- 
tion of  our  allies  and  for  the  United  States  of  various  gases,  including 
the  deadly  mustard  gas,  received  an  enormous  impetus,  consumption 
rising  rapidly  until  in  191 7  the  peak  was  reached  with  a  total  of 
55,679,597  gallons,  of  which  10,508,919  gallons  were  completely 
denatured  and  45,170,678  gallons  specially  denatured.^ 
Completely  Specially 
Fiscal  Years.  Denatured.  Denatured.  Total. 
Wine  Gallons.  Wine  Gallons.  Wine  Gallons. 
1907   1,397,861.16  382,415.19  1,780,276.35 
1908   1,812,122.38  1,509,329-35  3,321,451-73 
1909   2,370,839.70  2,185,579-15  4,556,418.85 
1910   3,076,924.55  3,002,102.55  6,079,027.10 
1911   3,374,019.92  3,507,109.94  6,881,129.86 
1912   4,161,268.56  3,933,246.44  8,094,515.00 
1913   5,223,240.78  4,608,417.76  9,831,658.54 
1914   5,213,129.56  5,191,846.03  10,404,975.59 
1915   5,386,646.96  8,599,821.81  13,946,468.77 
1916   7,871,952.82  38,807,153.56  46,679,106.38 
1917   10,508,919-34  45,170,678.29  55,679,597-63 
1918   10,328,454.61  39,834,561.48  50,163,016.09 
Notwithstanding  the  rapid  increase  in  the  consumption  of  de- 
natured alcohol  in  this  country,  at  the  time  of  the  beginning  of  the 
1  The  following  table  shows  the  production  of  alcohol  both  completely  and 
specially  denatured  by  fiscal  years,  since  the  passage  of  the  free  alcohol  law  of 
1 906 : 
