File:Power Alcohol Distillery, Sarina, near Mackay.jpg

English: Power Alcohol Distillery, Sarina, near Mackay

QSA Series ID: 57 IID: 392345

THE MURRUMBIDGEE IRRIGATOR FRIDAY 3 JUNE 1927

POWER ALCOHOL DISTILLERY OFFICIAL OPENING AT SARINA (QLD.)

To Sarina, which is situated on Plane Creek, close to Mackay, belongs the distinction of being the first town in the Commonwealth to manufacture power alcohol on a commercial scale, from molasses. While most of the plant was manufactured by Egrot and Grange, of France, the other plant came from the Works of Lummus in America; the still is the product of Dorman Long, Sydney. The full working capacity of this distillery is about 20,000 gallons per week.

The results of this distillery will be carefully watched by all those interested in the sugar cane industries because we have heard much talk of the danger of over production and of the objection to export the surplus refined sugar at considerable loss. The success of this distillery will be of great importance to Italian settlers. It solves the problem of over production, besides providing new avenues for settlement in the demand that will be created for cassava, tapioca, sweet potatoes, maize and sorghum, all of which will be utilised in the production of power alcohol.

The Sarina distillery commences operations under the most favourable of conditions. It is the first of three distilleries under the combined auspices of 'The Distillers Co. Ltd., Edinburgh,' 'The International Sugar and Alcohol Co. Ltd.' and 'The Power Alcohol Co.'. The Commonwealth Government were materially assisting by contributing a bounty of £5,000 annually, which enables the raw producers to get maximum benefit therefrom, while the Queensland Government was guaranteeing the loan of £25,000 advance to the mill.

Some measure of the importance of this new industry can be gathered from the following observations. It is estimated that one ton of sugar molasses will produce 65 gallons of spirit. In 1925-1926 there was produced in Queensland in round figures 120,000 tons of sugar molasses capable of producing, say, 7,000,000 gallons of motor spirit. The growing demand for motor spirit can be seen at a glance from comparative figures. The importation in the last four years has risen from 40,000,000 to 100,000,000 gallons.