Arizona republican., 1916-04-08
Administration Leaders Are Hopeful First of Three National Defense Meas lres Will Be Completed Next Week
DEBATE LIKELY
 ON ONE SECTION
It is Expected Measure Will Go to Joint Conference Committee After Settling Peace Strength Section in the Senate
Republican A. p. Leased Wire1

WASHINGTON, April 7.-Adminis- tration leaders in congress are hopeful that the army increase bill, first of the three great national defense measures. will enter it's final stage next week be- fore the joint conference committee Indications tonight were that the only longed debate in the senate was the one fixing the peace strength of the regular army.
 The senate voted on only one amend ment to the bill today, adopting with out roll call the proposal of Senator smith of Georgia that enlisted men in the regular army hereafter be given opportunity for 73 hours of vocational education d month during their active service in peace times. Civilian in- structors to aid the army officers ill this work are authorized by the amend ment, which specifics that the training shall be in agriculture or the mechan- ical arts. Senator Chamberlain ac- cepted the amendment when Senator Smith reduced the time allotted from 94 to 5 hours month.
 Debate on various proposals for the erection of d government plant for the flXatiOn of atmospheric nitrogen occu- pied the remainder of the day The pending amendment was that of Sen atOr Smith of South Carolina to ap- propriate $15,000,000 for d plant site and process to be determined by the war department. The surplus capacity over the governments needs in peace times, under the proposal would go into the manufacture of fertilizer to be sold by the government through the secre- tary of agriculture.
 Senator Hardwick of Georgia at lacked this phase of the amendment as socialistic. He declared himself unal- terably opposed to embarking the gov crnment on any such venture and questioned it's constitutionality Sen ator Smith said he had framed the amendment with the purpose of reduc- ing the cost of fertilizer to the farmer because, by d happy circumstance, the government's military needs and those of the farmer could he met at the same time. He insisted that the dis posal by the government of it's surplus capacity by lease or otherwise was jus tified under the constitution.
 Senator Lodge also attacked the project but addressed himself particu- larly to the amendment offered by Sen ator Underwood of Alabama, which would provide for war department investigation of the question of Wa ter power site and the process to he used. He placed in the record an outline of the connections of r. $. Washburn and J. w. WorthinSton, who appeared be- fore the house military committee to favor d plan for government co-opera : tIon in q nitrogen plant, with various southern power and fertilizer compa = nies. The MaSSa chusetts senator said these companies were all interlocking, the Alabama Power company. one of those mentioned, controlling the ma jor- ity of them. and that they undoubtedly would profit by the acceptance of the Muscle Shoals (AIabama) project
 Senator Underwood denied this. as serting that the Alabama Power com pany was opposed to the plan His amendment, he added favored no spe- cific project, but only sought d full in- Vestigation of the subject
 There is not senator here said Senator Underwood. ''who does not realize the deporable condition this country would be in because of it's shortage of nitrates for explosives if war should be declared against us A second rate power could make us sur render ill six months if we had no sur plus of nitrogen and it had plenty"
 Senator Lodge declared that by leav- ing private enterprise alone the govern
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