The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-23

 such that the interest charges amount to TIA per cent of tho whole cost. The gov ernment should provide the funds ana own the plant. And in doing this the government also provides itself with a remarkable aid to national defense. Further, it has not taken any material required for other purposes. as the other processes would do if they were employed for this purpose.
 MILITARY SITUATION
 Part three, under the title of Our Powerless Prowess." Is devoted to the military situation. The United States. 1t is stated, Is dependent upon the im- portation of nitrate of soda from Chile for the manufacture of Its powder and explosives for defense. Within the last few years efforts have been made 10 accumulate a reserve supply of this indispensable material, but in July. 1914, it was found that 1t would re- quire five years to complete the sup ply-and this supply amounts to put one twentieth of the amount held Dy Germany at the beginning of the war. Again the air-nitrate plant is ne cessity, and Brigadier General Crozier, chief of ordnance. is quoted to prove this In establishing this plant the re- quirement of army officers that ii must be in a region of security rom fnvasion--west of the Appalachian mountains, east of the Sierra Nevada and at least 200 miles from any--bor- der-must be kept in mind. It should also be reasonably central; 1t should have at least 120,00O horsepower oi primary power to produce 1so,oo0 tons 1 of nitric acid annually; plentiful supply of raw materials nearby foI ammunitions. and lastly, 1t should be placed in a region of favorable weath- CT conditions and active, available | labor.
 Part four New Light on an Old 1 Subject" concerns the improvement ! of the Tennessee river from a naVi- ] gation standpoint. This is compared to l d highway on which large sums have been spent for paving, while leaving few sharp grades that render all
 the other improvements of no prac' | tica1 value. The present Muscle Shoals i canal was built before modern tugs and barges were built. and hence does not serve the needs of navigation Ihe board of engineers for rivers and har- 1 bars recommended the development ol | this important artery because 1t #
 endowed with vast mineral. forest ant | agricultural wealth that will b'
 brought out through good transporta ] tion facilities. The construction of wa 1 terpower dams will supply this needed ] improvement.
 PHANTOM OPPONENT
 Part five describes the coke over
 production of ammonia, offered as competitor of air nitrogen, as "A Phan l tom Opponent" It Is pointed out thal ! all the ammonia produced is required 1 for other purposes than ammunition ! that the entire production would no ! bo adequate, and that it cannot aic l the cheapening of fertilizer which is SC necessary to reduce the cost of farm ing. The statements of coke oven in i terests are used to support this.
 "The Offering of the South" con 1 stitutes part six and takes up direct ly Muscle Shoals claims. It can pro duce 500, 900 horsepower of practica power; the limestone needed is righ at hand; the second greatest coke dis trict, Birmingham, is within g miles; 1t Is in the cotton section, whicl
 requires most of the fertilizer of tn country it is within circle of 3q | miles radius which may be called tn "heart of rural America" as 1t em l braces the center of the number o 1 farms the center of rural population the center of farm values, the cente Of acreage. the center of cereal pro duction and the center of cotton pro auction.
 The offerings in time of war ar taken up in part seven, "Our Nationa Treasure House." In one chart it i shown that iron is obtainable in tn Birmingham district within 90 miles aluminium ore, 1855 miles; copper, IT
 miles; manganese, 2so miles; zinc, 21
 miles; salt. 400 miles; lead 32o miles
 barytes, 1s0 miles, and other materia required for ammunition. It is als
 favorably located with respect to tn l distribution of war materials.
 l IF NOT MUSCLE SCHOALS
 Part eight asks where this plan
 shall be located, if not at Muscl Shoals. This asserts that every othe large power site is outside the safe ty area. It cannot be placed in tn far west, because the most vulnerabl I section is on the east, and this need the greatest defense.
 The brief closes with a large ma three and one-half feet square, com
 piled from records of the Unite States geological survey and the Uni ted States conservation congress, giv ing the resources of the United State
 as they relate to this subject. The de
 posits of every material required i
 shown, with the production of eac deposit properly indicated, so that b an examination of 1t, one can lear
 just what each section can offer. Al
 the potential power sites are show hand the boundary is the safety zone a
 indicated by the war college, is out lined. The brief is one of the most in teresting records of the country's re sources that has ever been prepared
 and Is expected to attract attentio not only among those interested in tn
 question of nitrate production, bu
 among scientists and business me
 generally