The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-08-29

OF ieFllllHGF PRODUCTS 10 elSnL per Gently
Third, the offer as written suggests
producing. but contain.. no direct pro
proposal to produce fertilizer for the
benefit Of American farmers That (
could, OF course be corrected in the.
final contract, for | have no doubt
that Mr. Ford desires to make fert- (.
ilizer at total net profit OF eight per
cent Nitrate Plant Number 2, hows
ever, IL not adapted TO making fer
tilizer, but only cyanimid, one OF sew
eral materials used for tile productions
Of fertilizer and not che Of the bestA
at that n
The fact Is that the Ford offer il
not snAinly a fertilizer proposition. liz
is seven parts watGrpowe.' to ono
part fertilizer even IL the fertilizetG
pprt should work Quiz, .Far, If Nitrate
Fptly employed inSstifdsi Manufacturing
Plant Number were to be permam
Of fertilizer it would consume but 100.
thousand horsepower oHt of the S50@i
900 installation. This is the heart
OF the Whole matter. Ri
AS waterpower proposition thel
Ford offer is in every important point
directly contrary to the Roosevelt
watprpower policy which after Is
years OF struggle was finally enacted
into law last year.
The Roosevelt policy provides that
all waterpGwer leases shall be limited
TO fifty years The Ford offer asks for
100 years with indefinite renewals.
The Roosevelt policy provides for
return OF the Government works at
the end Of fifty years. The Ford Of
fer provides for indefinite private pos
session Of the Government works.
The Roosevelt policy provides foe
regulation If the price to the power
consumer. The Ford offer, SO far as
the United STATES sis concerted, pro-
yides no check on what the power co.p
sumer must BAY ci8 ll&hip n
'fhe Roosevelt policy provides thaa
public waternower taken for protit
shall make return to the public. ThA
Ford offer asks for many hundred
/ thousand horsepower for nothing
The amoGnt of power Alr. Fora
could develop Hnder Ills offer. is
greater by haif than an that Is now
beng developed at Niagara Fails. II
Mr.. Ford We're to pay for ii at the
rates charged by the Government, to
other companies that build their own
! works. as Mr.. Ford would not, Il would
! cost him about $50 thousand dollars
year.
Beyond question Nitrate Plant Mum
Der 2 ought to be maintained in con
dition for producing explosives In
case OF war. Most certainly it ought
to be used for making fertilizer for
American farmers. The wisdom OF
developing the waterpower on the
Tennessee and its tributaries is beyond
question. But all these things can be
done with fairness TO the public. W
do not believe that Mr.. F0rd's of.
| fer should be snmmarily rejected.
do believe that II should be changed;
first, to make II lit the Roosevelt wa.
terpower Conservation policy, now the
| law OF the land; second. TO make Il
pay for the property OF the people
/ something approaching what the pro.
/ perty is really worth. and third, to
make what it offers TO the farmers
clear beyond doubt
1t Is said that certain Wall street
magnates who hate Ford are anxious
that his offer should he rejected
What these men think about Mr.. Ford
/ and his offer is surely no reason for
giving him public property Uf enor-
nous value for consideration
wholly inadequate and on terms ut
terly unfair to the pubic.
| | should be glad TO see ~ Mr. Ford
make money, and plenty OF money.
ont Of taking over the property of the
people as he proposed to do. but not
such perpetual and gigantic profits
/ as his would assure. II Is fair to con
slider the pubic also, and to remember
that all the annual payments Mr.. Ford
offers to make would amount to only
one.third Of the yearly taxation ne
eessary to meet the interest charge
/ Cat the Liberty Loan rate Of Ia per
cent? on the Governments net invest
ment in the property he proposed to
take over, and that he would get the
waterpower for nothing.