The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-02-03
CHEAPER NITRATE


 tell you the government can make fertilizer at Muscle Shoals when the water power has been developed cheap CT than the farmers and the govern ment have been paying for Chilean ni- trate. e The great nitrate plant at Mus Gle Shoals, with capacity of no tons or ammonious nitrate per annum with about 10000 horse power steam plant is about completed and partly in op- eration.
 Now the gentleman from Ohio. Mr Longworth, Is loud in his criticism of the President and war department for building the great water power dam there and adding thereto another 100, 600 primary horsepower at a cost of $14, 000. With this combination of steam and waterpow- CT this great plant can, and l hope will be, operated by the government for tho manufacture of fertilizer and thereby break the shackles with which the Chill can nitrate trust has had the United states government and the farmer of America tied for all these years.
 The gentleman from Ohio, MT. Long, worth, says that this plant was built for and will be turned over to a private corporation thereby referring, as I sup pose, to the American Cyanamid com pany. The only thing, as far as I am advised, upon which he has to base such
 
 government and that company for the construction of this plant in which it is proposed that in the event the government should at any time decide to sell or dis pose of this plant that the American Cyanamid company would be given the first right for a period of not to exceed six months to become the purchaser, pro- vided the terms were satisfactory to the government There is nothing else in the 1x,bic in ference can be drawn
 l sincerely hope that the government will never see proper to sell this plant to that company or any other corpora ton or individual. I want to see it op- perated by the government I believe that it can be done successfully and to the great advantage of the American people But if the time ever comes when tho government decides to sell or lease this plant to any individual or corporation I hope it will make and retain such con- trol and regulation over the plant as will protect the farmers of America in the price and quality of the fetilizer produced at this plant.
 The gentleman from Ohio, Mir. Long worth, stated in his speech here the other day that this plant had been turned over to a private corporation. There is nothing upon which to base
 
 MT. Almon: Then it is the record. l do not know whether you said it or not.
 MT. Longworth: The gentlemen never read such a statement from me. The government still owns it and it is to be operated by a private corporation and it will be.
 MT. Almon The gentleman is mis- taken. 1 may be mistaken about you saying the plant had been turned over t< yNr;,- tn t;.~., but in speech here on the 11th day of this month that this dam was built by the government for private corporation to produce fertilizer at Muscle Shoals. You have nothing upon which to base your statement that this plant will be operated by private corporation. It is gov ernment plant and l believe will be op- erated by the government
 MT. Good: If the gentleman will per- nit I think the testimony is the gov ernment has closed down on the manu- facture of ammonia nitrate.
 MT. Almon: That is where the gen tleman is mistaken.
 MT. Good That was the testimony be- fore the committee on yesterday, that the plant had been closed for the manu facture of ammonia nitrate for fertilizer purposes because no Scientimic way had been discovered to manufacture that dInIHOnld HltTdle SO lildl IL WOuiu hOt cake and that is the problem they are now trying to solve.
 MT. Almon: If my friend, MT, Long worth, will just now insert in the re- cord his 55 questions to the Secretary of War and Colonel Joyes' answers they will give the House a great deal of informa tion on this question.
 Mir Longworth: l will say .hat the information given is quite contrary to the ! to the committee.
 NO CRITICISM OF OHIO PROFITS Mir. Almon: I notice the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Longworth), makes no ! criticism of any appropriation by Con gress for Improvements on the Ohio | river. During a period of 50 years when | there was ,0OO expended by the gov ] ernment on the Ohio river only about S1O,000 was spent upon the Tennessee river. It is not necessary, if I could, i to make any explanation as to causes O; the discrimination against this great waterway in the south. The Tennessee river Is as great as the Ohio. Where they flow together at Paducah. Ky, it has been said by engineers that there is a greater volume of water in the Ten nessee than ir the Ohio. There is as much commerce and as many people upon the Tennessee as upon the Ohio. The gentleman IFOIf OulO OppOSeu tlle improvement at Muscle Shoals for navi- gation purposes. He now opposes the improvement which will result in an inn provement of this great waterway which is about completed with the exception o, the Muscle Shoals obstruction, when it is being done for the purpose of de- velopng water power with which to operate this great government nitrate plant.
 When the Muscle Shoals association came before Congress and urged this inn provement and when they presented printed brief of the advantages of Muscle Shoals as a location for the nitrate plant and copies of same were furnished each member of Congress, the gentleman from Ohio, MT. Longworth. was the only man in Congress. as far as l am advised, who declined to read the brief and who criti- cized the association and called them lobbyists I wonder if he has ever con- demned the members of the Ohio River associa tion as lobbyists when they come to Congress. as they have. and no doubt will continue to do, and ask for appro- priations for improvements on the Ohio river. Then, why all this opposition on his part to the development and improve ment proposed by the government upon the Tennessee river?
 Muscle Shoals was selected for the loca- tion of this nitrate plant upon it's merits. We had the water power. the transporta tion facilities, the raw materials and the best climatic conditions. There was no place in the United States where you could locate a plant and have water power with which to run it during the war.
 Mir Longworth: I want to ask the gentleman a question. He said they had water power in time of war