The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-08-09

loss to the state in wages for labor and for fuel
 There is no need for alarm over this phase of the situation, however, as the proba ble future low cost of fuel. with shrinking market. and Improvements in steam generating machinery, will ultimate ly control the price of power in this state.
 Control Fertilizers | The thing of tremendous importance to | the state of Alabama, however is the allowing of this monopoly to control the price of fertilizer in this state for the next | 100 years. The next five years will witness | revolutionary improvements in the man1- 1 facture and production of nitrogenous fer | tilizers from the atmosphere. Strangely enough this is one of the most rema rka ble developments of the war in Germany. Let me quote from the August number of the Review of Reviews, page 211 under the caption entitled With Cheap Power Ger many Produces Universal Fertilizer: | "As mentioned above, the economic pro- ducton of the new food yeast could not possibly have been of such enormous i'm. portance if the German chemists had not also provided in the nitrogen from the air a new and profitable source for the manufacture of sulfate of ammonium. Hitherto atmospheric nitrogen could be utilized only where cheap water power was available. and therefore large plant. were established in Norway, where the cost of power per certain units was about 450, compared with SIS at Niagara Falls 1 lowing to the existence of certain n- exhaustible deposits of Ignite coal. the l Germans are able to produce the same unit at $7.b0, a price which at first sight
 is higher than that of Norway, but in reality means greater cheapness all around. There is hardly any industrial development in Norway and almost all chemicals and apparatus must be i'm ported and the finished products exported As this is not necessary in Germany, | where, In addition to highly | organized industry there exists the most perfect and cheapest inland water trans | portation system, the price of s750 com | pared with A50 in Norway is actually | cheaper.
 With this cheap power Germany has | been able to produce new nitrogen com pounds which threaten to revolutonize | our present system of fertilization. This | industry to which the war has given the | impetus has assumed such dimensions I and has given such unexpected results that the government requested the Ger man Parliament to grant an impera ! nitrogen monopoly. From the official documents. it appears that chemical com. pounds have been discovered which al. | iOW tle DTOuuttlOI Ol Fl uIllN Sdl Ter tilizer.
 1 That this scientific achievement wil prove of momentous importance appears 1 from the fact that the giant chemca works which supply the world with dye stuffs. synthetic remedies and other coal tar products, have become important fac tors in the fertilizer industry of Ger many.
 "The peace negotiations may very like ly culminate in the conclusion of com mercial treaties between the nations 1 What an enormous power will be exer cised by that country, which, possessing such universal fertilizer and practically a worldwide monopoly of potash salts will have something to sell that every farmer in the civilized world absolutel, requires"
 Some Conclusions
 There are three striking conclusions t, be deduced from this article. as follows First-Epoch- -making improvements il the production of atmospheric fertilizer
 are now being evolved.
 Second-The revenue resulting from tn,
 sale of this atmospheric fertilizer will b,
 enormous.
 Third-Progressive Germany propose
 that by state ownership of this grea
 monopoly the revenue derived shall pas
 into the treasury of the state, where i properly belongs. Extortion from tn
 farmers of the state which would resul
 from private ownership will thus be pre-
 vented by state ownership. Let me give you another example: UI
 to the present time the nitrate beds O
 Chile have been the principal source O nitrate fertilizers for the world. Thes
 nitrates have sold fin Liverpool for iron $40 to $45 per ton. and this price ha
 fixed the price of nitrates all over tn
 world.
 The Chilian government has imposed
 export tax of $12. S on every ton of nj
 trate mined In 90 years this has yielde,
 the state revenue of about $500 0O0, ,00C Is it possible that the state of Alabama with it's poverty and ignorance. is goin to give away its great resources in at
 mospheric ntrates, and not content witt giving these resources away. exempt then from taxation for 10 years? The power company has gotten tn