The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-03-31
DUPONT' OFFER POWDER FACTORY TO
 U. 5. GOVERNMENT

Washington, March s31-Ani offer made by the DuPont Powder Co. to build a nitrate plant and submit to government control stirred up de- bate in the Senate yesterday in which Senator Underwood attacked the pow der company on it's attitude toward a. government nitrate plant. He made the charge that the company was en- deayoring to defeat this legislation be- cause of selfish considerations.
 The charge has been made that the purpose of some of the men in Con- gress who were urging the establish ment of. the plant at MusseI Shoals was to- have it leased by the govern ment to the Alabama, Lighting & Power Co. but in the bill reported from the agricultural committee of the Senate today the measure was Amended to prevent it being leased to prlyate parties. The bill reported car ried an appropriation of l$2,O0O, 900. Senator Kenyon of Iowa, a Progressive and one of the conservative group, was responsible for the amendment pre- Venting the leasing to private parties.
 In the course of the discussion, let terss4 from the DuPont Powder Co., were read in which that corporation ffered to build a nitrate plant and submit to- government control, and utilize processes they had obtained abroad for extracting nitrogen from the air. One of the letters read in the Senate was addressed to the Sec- retary of War and the other to Sena- tor Salisbury of Delaware.
 Several years ago the aixation of nitrogen from the air by the use of electric arc was found practical abroad and with a view of implantfng the in- dustry in this country (so1v1ng our problem here at home1 the DuPont company sent a corps Of it's experts to Europe to thoroughly investigate the various processes there employed
 As result of these Investigations the DuPont company purchased the right of one of the leading processes used abroad, which process is now es- ta,bIished in Europe on a commercial basis on a large scale of production.
 'sAs you know the process of secur- ing nitric acid from the air requires large units of hydro-electric power at a very dow cost
 "Coincident with our Investigations abroad we have been studying the pos abilities foE satisfactory hydro-e1ec- --Cric power in the United States and wef nd that while the power physic- ally exists it is not available because of governmental restrictions.
 "I enclose herewith for your con- sfderation a tentative draft of a bill which we believe will protect the mousse interests and Justify the in- vestmeilt of the capital essential to fIae solution of this problem in the United States.
 You will note the bill we submit provides that the company shall de- liver to the United States for military or naval purposes all or any part of the output of nitric acid at a price which shall insure such profit as the i Secretary Of War shall determine to be reasonable.
 With the way made clear the Du- Pont company stands ready to nego- tiate a contract under which they will begin at once the construction of a plant in units of such ma gnftude as may be agreed upon between the gov ernnent and the DuPont company. sfhe DuPont company to furnish the capital
 Tps letter to Senator sauIsbury