The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-14
For the Good of
 the Community

E. RGED as an oSSonIldl to Ino WlHtlug Ol CiC V war, the government in 1917 began preaching capacity production and conserYa- tion production of the war materials and living necessities and conservation of resources and products As the war wore on the government became more insstent Agents were sent 1, through the country, into every community, to preach the doctrine The people took 1t up and In remarkably short time American people had changed from nation of Wasters to na- tlon Of conservers, of savers.
 Under the stress of war everybody was keyed up to the stupendous task of fighting and win hing, and they produced and saved and won.
 Then the war ended and relaxation set in Wastefulness extravaganza superseded saving.
 Alabama was beginning to learn the lesson of saving of utilizing the resources nature had given her. An encouraging start was made to- wards saving the by-products of one of her rich est minerals Factories for transforming the chemical by-products of coal into finished com mercial products were being talked about, and for time one or more such factories seemed near actualities. That was year or two ago. Nothing of these has been heard in months. The same old waste goes on.
 Power and nitrates, essentials in winning the war; were lacking in quantities to meet the de- mands. The government had to have them. 1t laid out programme that in magnitude stag gered the nation and started to work
 Muscle Shoals, in the Tennessee river, offered possibilities found nowhere else, both for power and nitrates. Tens of millions of dollars were invested there in developments not yet con- plete. In time these will convert to useful pur- poses hundreds of thousands of horsepower en- ergy the waters of the Tennessee hitherto vast ed, that will turn the wheels of thousands of in 0l1StriaS in the wears tO come
 few men of vision some years ago saw the possibilities of another one of Aabama's streams and set about to develop it's power All north Alabama now realizes the importance, the economy and efficiency of the hydro-energy generated on the Coosa, and the communities now cut off from it are clamoring for it.
 But for the shortsghted, and the political expedency policy of certain elements in the nation the present ca pacity of this development would have doubled or more than doubled, before the United States entered into the war, and nitrates would have already been gathered from the air. And in addition long stretch of very important river would have been opened to navgation thus helping to carry the souths freight all of which the railroads could not carry.
 In these two items alone-coal by-products and water power-Alabama is annually wasting wealth greater than that which produced in her factories and her fields
 Chemical engineers are authority for the claim that Blrmngham offers opportunities unsurpassed by any other places for the development of the chemical in dustry.
 Capitalists, by investing their money have mani Iesled tneT 1alth m water power development in Ala Dama They are Wiling to put of their money the same work if granted the right and not hapered by petty politicians
 Too long has Alabama had place among the back ward states 1t IS time to look to the future to make survey of her possibilities and to take steps to develop the resources she has, whether be soil forests miner als or water.