The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1922-02-23

Y
to the east and west, with the assur-
ance Of national security Of Americs
Ia time Of War.
Muscle Shoals IA a four-fold pro.
position.
| First its completion means the cree
| ton iii the southern part Of H the
United Statesscf \ water power plant
second only To- Niagara Falls and The
ablishment Of a manufacturing
and industrial area that may come to
equal any Iii the United States. To
say that 1000, 900 horsepower may be
developed Muscle Shoals is overes-
timating; but to make this 10000
horsepower would be approximately
correct. s 5 4 81. VI
To give you an idea of The magini-
tude Of Muscle Shoals ! may say that
the total water power now developed
in the United States is roximately
s, 600, 900 horsepower.
For the operation Of the nitrate
pant for the manufa acturing of fertiliz-
er, only 100, 900 horsepower would be
required, thus leaving IA surplus Of
over 5000, 900 for the use Of towns,
800 miles Of the plant. Power would
be available for less than so per cent
Of the present cost. - b
Secondly, Muscle Shoals means,
when completed, the operation in time
of peace Of fertilizer plant that may
revolutionize farming in the South,
and in time the whole of the United
States. Southern farmers believe that
the making Of fertilizer at Muscle
Shoals may increase the value Of their
land $500 an acre. ,.-. T..
Various kinds Of fertilizers now are
manufactured by several plants as a
kind of by-product at high cost to
the farmers. The nitrates that are
used in much OF this fertilizer now
come from South America, and our
annual nitrate bill has now come to
be about 100 million dollars. -. q
= The big thing ait Muscle Shoals is
the proposed plan Of manufacturing
fertilizer by taking one of its principal
ingredients, nitrogen from the at
mosphere. One nitrate plant is al
ready in operation and was used dur
ing the World War for the purpose
of explosives. With only slight ex-
pense it can be converted into mass
i've plant for the production of fertil-
izers in time Of peace. This plant
alone has cost the Government 75,-
OO0, 900 million dollars.
In the third place. The completion
of the Wilson dam, which is only one
third complete and has the govern
ment 100000 million dollars. would
mean opening of the Tennessee river
to navigation. This accomplishment
would connect this territory with the
Mississippi Valley navigation system
and the passage of the largest river
steamers all the way from Chatta-
noega to New Orleans.
Finally, there is the national secur-
'ity that would be offered by Muscle
Shoals in time of war. The nitrate
plants for fertilizer could be recon-
verted to use for manufactures of ex-
plosives within three weeks, and there
would then be available the most stu
pendous plant for the making of war
materials yet designed. Government
officials who planned the Muscle
Shoals plant believe that this project
would make the entire country practi-
cally secure in time of war from any
world power, if not any combination
Of world powers. . i: DE-.
This is Muscle Shoals and its i'm
portance to the country. ..S.
There have been several offers for
this Muscle Shoals project. Ford's
proposition has been the best offered
so far, but the difficulty was in financ-
ing it. The government has yet turn
ed down the soldier bonus (National)
for lack Of money, land refusing to is
sue interest bearing bonds to secure
the currency,it might be embarrassing
to issue interest bearing bonds~to pay
for the completion Of this project.
Henry Ford has offered TO complete
the Muscle Shoals project without any
cost to the Government. that is, he
will accept in payment therefor "flat
money" or noninterest bearing obllga-
tions of the governments %aa.
Army engineers say il will take
$50 900 600 TO complete the big dam.
As Congress is economical just now
and does not like to raise the money
by taxation the customary alternative
is 80 year bonds at per cent interest
At the end Of so years the government
has to pay 10000, 900 principal and
interest and all the time II is the gov
ernment's own money. The govern
ment first gave credit and then must
pay for the use Of what Il gave.
III Ford's plan the govt would
issue $40, ,000, 900 in bills, and with
them pay expense connected with the
completion of the dam. With the dam
completed the entire $40. .O00, 900 cur
rency issud can be retird out OF the
earnings Of the plant. The only differ
lence between this currency plan and
the bond plan is there's no interest.
And the money merchants who do
nothing to build the dam get nothing.