The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-19
Editor of Manufacturers Record Points Out Error
 in Minds of Naval Board
MEMBERS OF BOARD NOT FAMILIAR WITH
 IRON ORES OF SOUTH
Expert and Unbiased Metallurgists and Steel Men Should Be Called on to Acquaint Board
 With Facts

In employing an expert to demon- strate before the navy board at Wash ington the qualities of Birmingham district steel. the special armor plant committee of the Chamber of Com merce is carrying out point which will have vital bearing on the de- oision made by the board as to the location of the armor plate plant, &C., cording to Richard H. Edmonds, edi- tor of the Manufacturers Record. MT. Edmonds was the originator of the plant in the interior.
 He quotes from an expert metallur- eist to show that the question of fred ores" does not enter into the quality of the steel produced, as had been sug- gested by the navy board. and urges that every effort be made to sup ply the navy board with expert in- formation in regard to the making of armor plate.
 Formal announcement that an ex- pert metallurgist would be employ ed to appear before the board was made by I. c. Beatty yesterday afternoon, following his return from Washing ton. Simultaneously with the an- nouncement of MT. Beatty, a copy of an editorial written by Mr. Edmonds for the Manufacturers Record and setting forth his views in this direc- tion, was received by The Age Her ala for publication
 MT. Edmonds suggests, however, that the experts should appear before the navy board before it leaves Wash ington with a view to studying the advantages of the various locations mentioned
 "The members of this committee. we are sure. are open to conviction, and will welcome all expert testimony that Ican be given them,' says Mr. Ed rlonds. 'But this should be done be- lore they leave for their tour of in- vestigation so that in advance their minds may be entirely disabused of the error into which they have ap- parently fallen. This is question that must be settled by experts and not by political pull"
 MT. Beatty believes that Birming- ham has an excellent chance to land the armor plate plant. His views, how ever, agree with those of Mr. Ed- monds in that the chief disadvantage or Birmingham and the Alabama min- eral district is lack of accurate in- formation on the part of the members Of the navy board as to the real sit uation here and the quality of Bir- mingham district steel.
 2 OBJECTIONS WITHOUT VALUE
 In this connection Mr. Beatty points out that the expert will endeavor to prove to the navy 2oard that steel Can be manufacturedS at less cost in A 10 q n in America and that the objections raised to Alabama pig iron are without real value. since an iron with less phos. phorous than that used by Germany in the manufacture of its armor plate can be produced in Alabama.
 Alabama has many advantages over Pittsburg. considered this states chief rival for the plant. according to Mr. Beatty. T think that the Washing ton board will follow the recon. mendation of the war college that the plant be located in the safety zone, and Birmingham is In the safety zone.'"
 In his editorial on the armor plate situation, MT. Edmonds deplores the ignorance of the navy board in re- gard to the character of ores found i'll the south and elsewhere demonstrated by recent circular sent out by the >S' y ~oeSAN' NSNAAS doout PlS lTOn from red ores
 T have reason to know that the ac- tion of the navy department in getting out the circular it has gotten out has not been any primary antagonism to the south, but it is an expression of the want of exact knowledge on the subject on the part of those in charge of the proposition"
 The above statement, incorporated in the editorial of MT. Edmonds, is taken from a letter to thes Manufac- turers Record. written by one of the foremost metallurgical experts of the United States, and expresses the sen- timents of the Record and MT. Ed monds himself, he says.
 WRONG IMPRESSION
 The letter says further: Not know ing definitely they are afraid they may be led into some mistake, and having gotten the impression that what is known as the red ores were the only ores which had been used for .he mak- ing of armor plate in this country they are trying to protect themselves against any mistake by requiring that the same sort of ores should be used
 "The color of the ore and the loca-
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