The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-05-13
Mcclellan Statement Appar- ently Having Effect Upon Senate Committee-0ther Studies of Proposition Said to Be Selfish
By HUGH W. ROBERTS

oS W. hObEhIS
 Washington Bureau. The Age-HeraId
 500 Davidson Building.
 Washington, May 12.-(Special.)- While Senator Norris characteriza- tion of the Henry Ford offer for Muscle Shoals as "unconscionable" may or may not have telling effect on the Senate committee on agrI- culture, or on the Senate, the sug- gestion of pr. William Mcclellan. president of the American Institute or Electrical Engineers, that board or engineers be appointed to investi- sate the possibilities of Muscle shoals for the government, has al- ready exerted obvious influence.
 pr. Mcclellan declares that all pre- Nious investigations have been made at the instance of interested indi- Viduals of corporations, and that the government is entitled to some consideration. He adds that such an investigation as he proposes would bring to light the course which the government should pursue in its own and the consuming public's interest.
 Dr. Mcclellan makes the follow ing statement:
 The Muscle Shoals proposition has been under active discussion by bus mess and technical men ever sineesit was started in war time. This dis cussion has become more active since the government has had to de- termine what 1t would do with the unfinished work. My own opinion. and find that l am in agreement with those whom l have met who have had to do with large projects of this sort, Is that the government should not act except on the basis of unbiased, competent, professional and business advice.
 Is Commercial Matter
 "It Is perhaps not unfair to say that all those engineers and busi- ness men who have made de- tailed study of the matter thus far have done so for some reason of their own. and not from the stand roint of the government. It must be understood that the disposal of Muscle Shoals is not a technical en- gineering proposition but is commercial matter. The only way for the government to get an im- partial review of the commercial and engineering features of the sit uation is for these two committees jointly to request group of not less than five engineers who have had adequate commercial experience in large projects to take all of the data. statements and reports which have been submitted and report to the committees what the govern ment should do.
 'I will engage as president of the American Institute of Electrical En- xxtx, ~t, 1n tad American Engineering societies tod see that such committee of en- gineers with commercial experience is placed at the disposal of the congressional committees. Such committee of engineers would, of course, not do any technical design or make any technical recommends tions of any kind. They would merely recommend the general scheme under which the problem should be solved from a business standpoint.
 AIienate Plants
 Pending such an investigation as to just how the project should be handled, certain fundamental propo- sitions should be accepted. First the government under no circumstances should alienate its nitrate plants until an adequate plan is agreed upon for the completion of these nitrate plants or the construction Of nitrate plants at some more favor- able point should this be found.
 Second, the works at Muscle Shoals with any construction equip ment should be protected at once so that 1t can not deteriorate during the period that the investigation Is ;,, what the final plan should be. Such protection of interrupted construction work is very common among commercial com panies
 Third, while fundamentally l am very strongly of the opinion that the government can well afford to appropriate money to render streams navigable and also to regulate flow, particularly at headwaters, so as to make them more available for water power. nevertheless I do not think any large sum of money ought to be appropriated for this project until the report on the gem eral plan which I recommend above has been received by the two com mittees.
 Summarized. my definite recom- mendation to the two committees at present would be:
 First, protect the existing con- struction and equipment so that 1t cannot deteriorate and, second, in- vite an engineering board of review to recommend to the two committees of Congress general plan of proce- dure In connection with Muscle Shoals
 
 HARnINc TO SPEAK