Motor Spirit From Copra?

Australian newspapers recently stated that from one ton of copra costing about £4/10/-, about 100 gallons of second-grade motor spirit could be produced, which could be usefully mixed with petrol.

The Minister for Development, com menting on this report, said that up to the present the use of petrol in the manner suggested had not been re commended. Molasses, sugar and wheat were being used in the manufacture of power alcohol. He had requested his Department’s technical officers to inves tigate motor spirit possibilities in relation to copra.

Archer » a chemist, and Mr.

Gilbert Tomlinson, an engineer, claim that they have discovered, in a spirit distilled from copra (which can be pro duced commercially for about 9d. per gallon), a unifying agent which will allow methylated spirits to be blended with petrol. . 9 n e of the problems of the motor fuel industry has been to find some way of blending methylated spirits, which is cheaply produced, with petrol—and these two men claim that they have discovered the way. They say that a distilling unit, which would cost £15,000, could produce 2,000,000 gallons per annum of this copra spirit.

Details have been sent to the Com monwealth Government.

Motor engineers profess scepticism—but admit that if the discovery is what it is claimed to be, it will be a fine thing for Australia. It also will be a fine thing for copra producers, Mr. T. Gough, Chief Police Officer at Port Moresby, Papua, arrived in Brisbane last month to spend a brief holiday with Mrs. Gough and their daughter.