Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-12-15
Believe Advent of Industrial
Leader Into South Will
Mean Much Towards Pros
perity of the Section
BY HARRY HUNT

kO1L11I l. A1@A%A@S <AAS"'1 DNS' -
"Will Henry get it?''
That's the question fired by nine
out of ten men in northern Alabama
and southwestern Tennessee today.
No one asks "Henry who?" or
Get what?" There's only one ''Hen-
ry" and onely one cit"
"Henry' is Henry Ford. at" Is
the Muscle Shoals water power and
nitrate development.
And on the question Of whether
Henry gets il depends the whole flu
ture industrial development and
prosperity of the south, folks here
abouts firmly believe.
It's not simply the prospect Of de-
velopment of immense water and
electrical power. That's the smallest
part of it.
It's the advent into the south of
Henry Food, master industrialist.
model employer, that has electrified
minds and hopes.
OIu VI A'AooS~N
Shoals, folks here say, will mean
new conditions of labor, of housing,
of pay-a whole new standard of re-
lationship between employer and
employee below the Mason-Dixon
line.
"Win Henry get it?" asked a
workman in griny overalls outside
Nitrate Plant No. 2, surveying the
"No Help Wanted" sign and the mile
of idle buildings.
"Boy! When the smoke goes up
from those chimneys everybody
within 200 miles is goin' to flock
here. If you'd burn tarbucket.
you'd have a mob here in an hour,
"Will Henry get it?" asked an
engineer.
"He told me he didn't want any
man to work more than eight hours
day or six days week. The COM
pany that's taking cne power plant
over on monthly basis is starting
us on 12-hour day. So you san
see why we're for Ford"
"Will Henry get it?''
A brisk, nattily dressed chap was
talking in the street car.
Represent st. Louis and Chicago
capital he breezed along. been
following oil, but this looks like a
good bet now. . Haven't been in town
"a hours. but I've signed up an OPP
ton on 100 acres adjoining the gov
eminent reservation northeast of the
DAM"
"Sold seven sites today-all bust
ness locations" announced Wal
lingford type individual. prices?
Oh, $500 to $4,000 for sites SO by
$50. Worth half that, maybe less
Tiff Henry doesn't get it."
That's a cross section Of conYer-
sation in and around Sheffield.
Limitation of armament, prices OF
cotton, familiar topics of converse
ton and debate are overshadowed
by the one inSistent query:
"Will Henry get it?''
For this section of the south be-
lieves Henry Ford's acquisition Of
the 100000 900 government project
at Muscle Shoals means more work,
more money, more progress and
higher standards of living in Dixie.
EDISON SEES GREAT
FUTURE FOR PLANT
ORANGE, N. J., Dec. 13.-Thomas
A. Edison, who recently accompanied
Henry Ford on an inspection trip to
the governments waterpower devel-
opment at Muscle Shoals, Ala, today
declared the automobile manufac-
turer could make the Muscle Shoals
project hum, not only getting his
rental, but a good profit for the peo-
ple.%
Fertilizer, which he, would manu-
facture, is in great demand in the
SOUTH said the inventor. 'In north
ern Alabama 1 saw cotton fields with
short stubby plants stunted for lack
of fertilizer. WHAT the people need
is a cheap fortified. The price is
too high now. The crop would be
doubled and employment given to
about a million people if the Ford
project at Muscle Shoals went
through"
zone part Of the plan is practical
ly read for operation except for the
completion of the dam, which Mr..
Fords wants the government to build
before he leases the property. The
government says the dam would
cost $45,000,000. Mr. Ford estimates
the cost at $3O,OOO,OOO. I think his
figure is about right.
''Mr. Ford will guarantee to take a
profit of only eight per cent in
operating the plant. Who else would
want to do it for that? If the profit
exceeded eight per cent, the price Of
fertilizer would be reduced"
Mr.. Edison emphasized that his
connection with the plan was adj
visory.
Ford has bright mechanical
| mind" he said, "but is weak in
chemistry, and that's where I came