Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Coos Bay times. (Marshfield, Or.) 1906-1957 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1907)
THE DAILY HOPS BAY TIMES, MARSHFIELD, OREGON, OREGON, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1907. WEALTH IN POTATOALCOHOL Results In Germany Prove That America Is Mtefag Chance to Make Money n m CORNER FRONT AND C STS. Fort Dodgo, la., Aug. 31. A3 tho time approaches for tho removal of the tax on alcohol, the problem which Ions of alcohol from an acre of potatoes. Potatoes, moreover, are a commer confronts those most Interested In ' clnl crl' only when within a certain It is what Is best to make it from """co irom market. At the aver with a view of getting tho largest re turns. Another phase of the question which is not being overlooked Is who will benefit most by Its removal. An examination of tho machinery used in the passage of the hill brings to light the fact that tho farmer Is en titled to the greater part of tho credit, if not a largo part of the glory. Singly and through his granges ho practically dictate 1 the voto which 1,, in time, to bring him such great bene fits. Next comes tho manufacturer, who sees in cheaper alcohol lower costs on bis finished products and a conse quent greater profit to himself. It is not expected that tho buying public will realize any grc.it saving In the retail prices of tho hundred and one things into which it enters, for tho age price at which tho potatoes sell in the middle slates It can bo hauled only a comparatively short distance, but when reviewing it as a source of light, heat, and power, factories would bo encouraged to bo built, country neighborhoods and tho tub era grown for Its largest possible yield of alcohol. I'retty good testimony for potatoes. I'otntoc Handicap. And how many do we raise? Three hundred million bushels last year. Not enough to go around some years and wo have to buy a few in Europe. Ten bushels of corn raised for each bushel of potatoes. What is the rea son? It would appear that the gen eral erdlct Is that they are an easier crop to raise than corn. The prin cipal reason is this: Owing to the manufacturer expects to secure a lit-1 grcat bu,k and Perishable nature of tie extra profit. It would therefore the C1'01' lt cannot be transported as ssem that the one thing which advantageously. In years of bounti cnters into the change which takes ! ful lcld nct returns to farmers are place the first of next month is, Who oiten unsatisfactory. This is the whole situation in a nutshell no homo market. Tho western farmer can harvest his corn in the fall and draw lt to a cooperative elevator or keep It at Is to reap the benefit of tho new law? It appears to be a matter of com mon knowledge among those who know that tho Standard Oil company has control of tho wood alcohol plants of the country of commerce Is tho principal agent employed In the denaturing process called for by the law, lt Is apparent to any one wishing to denaturize a imllnn nt filcohol that, ho must first settle with them for his denaturing !an,d a11 because, there ls not M0W any As this item ' llomo antt waIt until the price gets ' him InfnmDrtil 111 nnlt nn It- TY..I ! ...... 1.11.1.1 wwu 111 OVlllil it. 1JUL LilU man with the potatoe crop must hus tle lt to market and sometimes get back a bill from the commission man for his trouble, market glutted, etc., agent. Next comes tho whiskey trust, which has numerous idle plants scat tered over tho country capable of making a largo quantity of alcohol, and if a sufficient number is not now in working order an additional num be" can bo acquired readily. Alcohol from molasses is already an established method of manufac turing. But tho sugar refineries of the country are under the manage ment of the sugar trust and some of its directors are are members of the whiskey trust. Thus three of tho greatest combin ations of captial are ready to furnish alcohol at a price, and hundreds of manufacturers ready to purchase It to lessen their cost of manufacture, but what has tho farmer done to make sure of tho earnings of this new industry? Ilclief In Potatoes. The foregoing are some of tho dif ferent phases of the question which have presented themselves for con sideration to those who have given study to tho now industry which is destined to do so much for the American people. The real point for the people of tho west to consider is, how are tho western farmers to reap benefit from it? The answer Is potatoes. In the early days corn was raised purely as an Item of food. In the pioneer days of Now England lt was used In church decorations on occa sions of celebration. Roger Williams found tho Indians making a pottago which they called "samp" from corn. But scienco has developed corn until at the present time there are over thirty different uses 'to which it is put. It Is not only raised for food but tho reduction of a corn crop in the Eix corn growing states of tho union will vibrate a wave of price fluctuations that will reach all of the civilizations of the world. Threo billion bushels of corn was raised last year and the monev was paid to six states for It. Prac tically every one of the Important corn products plants of the country today were developed after c-orn had been abandoned as a principal food product. An acre of potatoes will produce over twice aa much alcohol as an acre of corn. Experiments show that an acre of ground which will produce fifty bushels of corn will make 1.9G0 pounds of fermentable matter, 45 per cent of which will bo obtained as ab solute alcohol, 882 pounds or 130 gallons. But there is another consideration with regard to the potatoe for human food and for 'scarcely any other pur pose. Wo plant the potatoe which has tho finest flavor for the tablo, without regard to its yield per acre. Wore wo raising potatoes for tho pur pose of making alcohol, wo would do different. The variety which would yield tho most abundant per acre would bo planted. Where potatoes nro used as a cattle food as they are in Germany,- varieties pf the latter kind aro retorted to and there seems to bo no obstacle to producing doublo the amount of alcohol as from the present yield. So that it wouia u within tho bounds of reason to say other use for them but to boll, bake and fry. It doesn't sound good at all. They do things different over in Germany, whero they made 90,000,000 gallons of alcohol last year from potatoes. This is what Congressman E. J. Hill says after a visit and an Investi gation: "In Germany alcohol ls made al most wholly from potatoes. The highest yield per acre was 360 bush els and from that down to 124; prob ably a fair yield would be around 200 to 225. Tho potatoes are grown by tho farmers and manufactured Into alcohol in individual farm dis tilleries and in cooperative distiller ies as well. The aggregate product of tho farm distilleries was about fifty times as much as that of the industrial distilleries in Germany. At the beginning of each year the syndicate managers flx the price which they will pay tho producers for thplr nroduct. This is based, of course, upon tho condition of tho crop. The price this year has been fixed at 25 per cent less than It was last, Indicating a much larger crop. The product is taken and paid for by tho syndicate as it is made by the various farmeis. On all of this alco hol, which is made denatured or ren dered undrinkable, tho government allows a special return of tax previ ously paid, amounting to about 21 cents a gallon. Out of this amount the expenses of the syndicate, an al lowance for their investment with a fair profit on their business, and commissions for tho wholesale and retail dealers are all paid, and what ever is left at tho end of tho season is returned pro rata to tho farmer or original producer. I was told that as a general rule an additional re turn was made at the end of the year to the producer, but that oc casionally the payment was tho other way, the price at which the product was sold not being sufficient to re imburse tho managers of tho syndi cate for tho amounts already ad vanced at tho beginning of the sea son Farmers Need a Market. "Tho extent of the industry is shown by tho fact that last year there were more than 10,000,000 buBhels of potatoes consumed in the manufacture or alcohol. Over 8, 000,000 acres of farms in Germany were planted to potatoes and nearly G.000 distilleries were In operation. "I havo not tho lightest doubt that alcohol can bo maUo cheaper from corn in tho United States, and that the same thing Is true in tho north ern states from potatoes, and prob ably in tho southern states from sweet potatoes. Certainly a travel er needs but a short stay in France or Germnny to come to the conclu sion that tho cultivation of potatoes Is an Industry which can bo greatly Improved there when compared with tho quality of our American product. "I found that the practice was quite common of sorting the pota toes, the best boing reserved for human food, tho next grade for feed ing animals, and tho refuse or poor er grades for manufacturing alcohol. The first grade was selling nt retail for 75 cents a bushel. The average ,i fcV52 Vr--2. VXMU 21 1 1 y Ul ' VJli3temHK,-i IWr- MSf Ssztt'R" H"airS&?to ysKiEappwsa CITY & COUNTRY PROPERTY, TIMMRJ&&M COAL LAUD. WSJHFIEM), gsvy r-i :.0f q-egon: u TELEPHONE 1711 mhmisxmmimxsssaak-mmmi ztv:.m mMuuzxuinszizzmxzatKzmKz 1 IM mill. nmMmw iui.inmanwimwiin '05 was 27. G cents a bushel, and I am quite confident that this was far more than they were worth, quality being taken into consideration." It would thus appear that It is up to the farmer to provldb a means of marketing his product which would not be under tho control of a large corporation. It would seem the bettor part of wisdom to utilize the corporative system of neighbor hood distilleries and avoid somo one concern dictating the price for both the finished and raw product. If co operative distilleries, and thus keep the industry In the hands of those who created it? If German farmers with their methods of farming make It pay, what could tho western farmer 'do with his methods and machinery? Consider the history of the sugar beet industry. Pioneers In this built factories and contracted with tne lo cal farmers to raise the beets. He raised them and the beet sugar in dustry Is no, longer In tho experi mental stage. It takes ten times as much labor to raise an acre of beets as lt does an acre of potatoes. Co operative distilleries and the manu facture of alcohol from potatoes means a now field of great revenue for the western farmer, who is In the best position to derive the great est profit from tho effect of the now law. DAIIA' TRANSFERS. Aug. 27, 1007. B. Frank Wyatt to Wm. Rowley, quarter of southwest quarter of northeast quarter of southeast quar ter, section 1G, township 25, range 13; $1937.50. Geo. Bolster to Edward Donnelly, lots 7 and 8, bl'ock G, South Marsh field; $10. J. V. Pope to Herman Smithgall, lots 6, 7, 8 and 9, Caples Addition to Marshfield; $10. Lawrence B. Jennings to John Sun- dell, lot 1, block G, Bay City; $10. Nicholas Reichert to Mat Anderson lot 35, block 15, Railroad Addition to Marshfield; $10. L. A. Roberts to Wm. B. Hughes, south half of southwest quarter, northeast quarter of southwest quar ter, east half of northwest quartor of southwest quarter of section 10, township 29, range 12; $200. Elmo F. Hughes to Wm. B. Hughes oue-oight interest in south half of southwest quarter, northeast quarter east half of northwest quarter of southwest quarter of section 10, township 29, range 12; $10. R. Li. Edmonston to Laura B. Bartlett, lots 11 and 12, block 13, Edmonston First Addition to Marsh field; $10. M. R. Lee to Elijah J. Hutchinson, lots 5 and 8, block 35, Woodland Addition to Bandqn; $210. i "-KV T Pp & A hi Don't Forget that it is possible to secure 500 gal- cost of all potatoes grown in 1904- the Kodak on your outing trip; n full line with supplies at tho Red Cross COMMUNICATION Establishment of Smelters Would Work Much Injury. f Do tho people of Coos Bay know tne results of having a smelter estab lished in their vicinity? It would, doubtless, bo a success in bringing money into the country, but lt will destroy far more than it can bring. A few years ago a huge smelter was built at Keswick, near Redding, Cal., and when I was there four years ago not an atom of green veg etation existed within a radius of about two miles of the place, and everything from timber to grass was dying for a much greater distance in all directions. I have recently been informed that although the plant had an anual output of nearly $1,000,000, yet the people have suc ceeded in stopping its operation.' If the people of Coos Bay wish to utterly paralyze all agricultural and dairying enterprises in their vicinity destroy a vast amount of timber and render their beautiful green hills a horrid barren desert, let them per mit a smelter plant in their midst, and the sulphurous, arsenical, min eral, and other poisonous vapors vomited from Its deadly funnels in prodlgous quantities will do the work ten times quicker, cheaper and more effective than It can be accomplished in any other way. If a Japanese fleet should come in and shell every thing in sight to their hearts' con tent the consequences would be tame In comparison. Now don't call mo a "knocker;" but Investigate for yourselves, and learn the conditions in the vicinity of long established smelters, and de cide accordingly. Don't blindly permit its establish ment, and then after the havoc is wrought, spend years In litigation in the attempt to suppress it Myrtle Point, Aug. 29, 1907. I. N. Wilson. CURREN BROTHERS CONTRACTORS All Kinds of Work Done PHONES 543, 149 and 271 North Bend, Oregon ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD j o We use the necessary facilities for sending, money to all parts of the world, and without danger or loss THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF COOS BAY Marshfield, Oregon. irgCT?reaacgaqTrrnra fc,JT,lirl,t rUM r-rr-TrmnmBimTTrmr' lie" r rn-iT-nrrarnimrnTi I 'Whin House1 7 &M MAKisaea ST.LOD1S.U.SJU mti ttftrtiu m& NOTE--We have just re ceived a full line of Fall Dress Goods, a complete line of the well-known Boston Brand of Rubber Goods, and every other line has been, strongly reinforced. Prices rea sonable at D U siit m vow mall expense, all books F. E. NEWTON wmrnm9BSKXsaBFSsi!iaii3'TS7fi ATION iome at i bee represent- A FRONT ST. NEAR C. J native for a few days at W. J. R.ust s SF The New Piano Store The New Piano Store will be opened soon. In the meantime if you are looking for a piano see - 1 TAYLOR mz in the new Deubner Bldg. cor. C and Broadway jp "' M This Elegant Launch For Sale Sole Agent Odd Fellow's Building ; m'&mmszcmim Thirty feet long, Six Teet six Indies renin, Twenty inches liaf. Oak frunea, planked with three-qrmrter fir. Oak decks anil cabin. Two steering wheels, six Edlaon batteries, magneto, bilge pump, air tank and whistle, anchor, rouco, lights, cushions in fact, ev erything. IS Horse Power 4-CHader 4' I Cycle Buffalo Engine finest and best money can buy. Outfit cott JJ300.0C. Has run one 6eason. Fine for hunting, cruising, ferry or excursion work, Will make bargain price to party wanting good boat. C. W. IIodsok, Portland, Or. M $ M m : Y I v , C fi 4 tt ,$ & nMtJr m t