The evening leader., 1916-11-01

TRUST OPPOSES
DEFENSE PLAN
AMMONIA PLANT
AMMONIA CORPORATION SEEKS
TO HAVE GOVERNMENT RE-
FRAN FROM BUILDING
BIG PLANT

If efforts being made by the ammo
mia trust, one Of the most powerful
monopolies of the country, are sue.
cessful, the big nitrate plant, author
lied by congress to cost $4,000, 900,
will not only not be located at south.
ern waterpower site, but will not be
established at all. The ammonium
trust is the corporation which controls
the output of the byproduct coke cv-
ems of the country, and it is naturally
opposed to the construction by the
government of plant that will obtain
the nitrogen of the air and supply nj
trate for ammunition and fertilizer at
much lower price than that obtained
as result of coal distillation and sold
at the figure set by this corporation.
Those who realize the value of the air.
nitrate plant, and not only to that
part of the country in which it will be
located, but as an addition to the coun-
try's defensive strength and to its ag-
ricultural resources, are beginning to
feel that all patriotic citizens should
cease striving for sites for this plan:
that have no oportunity to bep select
ed, but should center on the one avail
able location and oppose the efforts of
the coke oven interests. This is, OBJ
viously, Muscle Shoals, on the Tennes
see river, which has been suggested
by the board of engineers for rivers
and harbors of the war department
and the chief of engineers of the army
for this purpose.
The coke ammonia interests are
largely appealing to the chemists of
the country for support, and in addl-
tion, are bringing pressure on the Of
ficials of the government who are be-
ing consulted in this project. This, Of
course, can only be resisted by press
ure from the air-nitrate side of the
question. The Iron Trade Review, one
of the organs of this industry, recent
ly published two papers by represent
atives of this business, declaring that
there was no reason why the presi-
dent should proceed with the expendi-
ture of the $20,O00,OOo appropriation
when there was a source, already es-
tablished, for all the nitric acid to be
required by the government in time of
war.
These arguments do not account for
the fact that Germany, which, in nor
NAL times, produced three times the
amount of ammonium that is recover
ed in this country from coke ovens,
has found it necessary to establish
great air-nitrate plants, and that Eng
land, France and Italy, with undisput-
ed control of the seas to obtain nj
trates from Chile's saltpetre beds,
have also had recourse to this method
and have built great atmospheric nj
trogen factories. They also overlook
the fact that only small percentage
of the coke ovens in the country are
using methods by which the ammcn-
ium can be recovered. That the coun-
try cannot depend with any degree of
security upon this method of obtain
ING the material for its ammunition is
shown by comparison Of the present
production, together with the normal
growth of the industry and the use
of ammunition in modern warfare:
The greatest oversight, however is
that the air-nitrate plant will be avail
able for producing fertilizer for the
benefit of the farmers of the country,
and indirectly for the nations great
er prosperity, while the coke oven
comnanies cannot produce nitrogen at
a cost to cause its purchase by the
farmers of the country in the amount
necessary for increasing crop pro-
duction.
It would be a great mistake, there
fore, to permit the coke oven interests
to continue their campaign, as they