New-York tribune., 1921-12-13
Ford Can Make
Muscle Shoals
Go, Says Edison
Ii South Had Fertilizer
Cheap Enough in Price,
He Declares, Crops There
Would Be Doubled
Employment for Million
Scientist Tells How ssWheel
of War; Invented by Som
Cuts Through Obstacles

ORANGE, N. j., Dec. 11-"Muscle
Shoals is first-class business propo-
sition," Thomas A. Edison declared
to-day in the first interview he has
given since his return from Muscle
Shoals, Ala, where he spent a week
with Henry Ford.
Ford can make it CO." he continued,
mot only making his rental, but a
good profit for the people, Fertilizer
is in great demand in the South. In
Northern Alabema I saw cotton fields
with short, stubby plants. They were
stunted for the lack of fertilizer. What
the people need is q fertilizer which
is cheap. They can get fertilizer now,
but the price is too high. They cannot
afford to buy it.
II cannot estimate the present waste
from lack of fertilizer in figures, but
the crop would be doubled and en-
ployment given to about million peo-
Pile"
Hopeful for Irish
In answer to several questions deal
ing with the international situation.
Mr.. Edison said that he hoped the
Irish government would go through :"
and that while he had not given it
much thought "the 5-5-3 plan seems
to me to be q good one"
refusing to comment on the pro-
posed elimination of submarines en-
tirely, he said: 81 will say, however.
that we ought to keep up with our ex-
perlments with submarines and deadly
gasses, and keep up with the other
FELLOW. 1t would be just as we'll to be
prepared with our experiments, as we'll
as anybody else. If somebody starts an
argument we would be ready. We
70
then"
Reverting to the Muscle Shoals plan,
he explained that Ford does not intend
TO build houses for the workmen. but
Will pay good wages, thus enabling the
workers to build their own houses,
one part of the plant is practically
ready now for operation" said Mr.. Ed
son, Except for the completion of the
dam, which Ford wants the government
to build before he leases the plant.
The government says that the dam
would cost $40, 100000. Ford estimates
the cost at $30,0O0.0OO, and / think
that's about right. Ford will operate
the plant, and guarantees to take a
profit OF only per cent. Who else
would want to do it for that? If the
proht ran over 8 per cent, the price
of fertilizer would be reduced
Only in Advisory Capacity
Il am associated with the plan onlv
in an advisory capacity. Ford has a
bright mechanical mind, but is weak
in chemistry, and that's where | come
in"
Mr.. Edison said that his son. of
whose invention Of a wheel to cut
through wire entanglements he told
IN an interview at Detroit last week
is Theodore. student of the Massa-
chuEetts Institute of Technology
where he is specializing in physics.
The wheel is s feet in diameter. y
Mr.. Edison explained, al foot thick
run by a Ford automobile motor, and
it gains a velocity of seven miles a
minute. 1t works on the gyroscope
principle. Some of the wheels viii
contain T. N. T. and others will be
empty. When the device is started it
runs in a straight line.
The first experiment was made near
Morristown, and after that the wheel
was taken to an island off Key West.
We built barbed wire entanglements
several feet apart for distance of
about 100 feet. We also dug large
she'll holes, some before the barbed
wire, and some in between it. The
wheel went right over the she'll holes
and through the wire entanglements.
We also piled up brush and trees and
the wheel cut right through them"