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- POWER ALCOHOL: ITS POSITION AND PROSPECTS. 
Power Alcohol: Its Position and Prospects. 
By T. BAKER.* 
As nearly two years have passed since the Power Alcohol Committee 
of the Advisory Council of Science and Industry published its proposals 
for the production and utilization of power-alcohol in Australia it will 
be interesting to consider how the matter stands at the present time. 
At the time that.the committee published its proposals the main- 
tenance of the supply of liquid fuel in Australia was causing con- 
siderable anxiety, as not only was the limitation of shipping, due to the 
war, interfering with the regular course of trade, but there was grave 
danger of the supply being altogether cut off, and our defence measure 
thus, to a considerable extent, paralyzed. Although that critical stage 
has passed, the desirability of Australia being able to provide for its 
own liquid fuel requirements remains as great as ever, for the use of 
liquid fuel in motor transport and in aeroplane work is already so great, 
and is extending so rapidly, that the provision of an adequate supply at 
a reasonable price is a matter of the greatest national importance, and 
almost a necessity to civilized existence. 
The imports for the last financial year of petrol, benzine, and kindred 
products (but excluding kerosene) amounted to more than 20;,000;000 
gallons, of which the invoice price at port of shipment averaged about 
1s. 64d. per gallon. Its total entry value (invoice, plus 10 per cent.) 
was £1,791,408; but this does not by any means represent the total cost 
to Australia, as freight amounted to far more than the added 10 per 
cent. A great proportion of the supply came from the United States of 
America, and, in order to pay for £1 worth of goods there, we 
have had, during the past year, to part with about 25s. worth of British 
currency. Altogether we may reckon that last year we had to remit 
some £2,300,000 to pay for our motor spirit. If alcohol made here could 
replace it, we would have that immense sum for application to other 
purposes. y 
The actual use of aleohol has been demonstrated to be quite prac- 
ticable, even in the ordinary motor car engine, although not economical, 
and a large scale trial of it has been made in some of the London motor 
buses—of this trial the final reports are not yet to hand. 
Tt has been proved that the moving parts of the engines are not at all 
injured by the fuel, but there is some tendency to corrosion in the 
silencer. Formerly, when using alcohol alone, there was considerable 
difficulty in starting the engine when cold, but means have been found of 
overcoming that difficulty. One method was worked out in the Sun- 
shine Harvester Works, and in the course of some experiments carried 
on under the direction of the Power-Alcohol Committee at the Engineer- 
ing School of the Melbourne University, it was found that if each of the 
cylinders of the engine is primed with about 5 ce. (a teaspoonful) of 
alcohol, the throttle closed, and the engine “ cranked,” ignition takes 
place. The liquid in the eylinders serves as a reserve, and suffices to 
* Managing Director of Kodak Ltd., and Member of the Special Committee appointed by the 
Institute to investigate the production and use of power-alcohol in Australia. : 
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