South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-02-18
u. S. ENGINEER
ATTACKS OFFER
MADE BY FORD
Hugh L. Cooper Makes Re-
port to Congress on Muscle
Shoals Project.
OPPOSES LONG LEASE
Declares Plan Is Impractical
From Business Standpoint
Gives Figures.

WASHINGTON. Feb tI.-Acccpt-
sHce by congress of the offer OF
Henry Ford for the purchase and
lease OF the government properties
40 Muscle Shoals would handicap
tho water power development or the
south and in this respect would be
like removing the vertebrate from
man you expected 10 get along"
Hugh T. Cooper. consulting engineer
20 tho government on the Muscle
Shoals development. declared Fri
day before tho house military com
mittee which is considering the
offer.
Mr.. cooper attacked the offer
from practically every angle and at
one point declared it would be
calamity to remove the super-water
power projects of the south from
the field of public utility for 100
years. He also presented estimates
based on army engineer data show
ing that it would cost the govern
ment 275.O0O,0OO during the
next 100 years I'm order that Mr.
Ford may secure sole. unregulated
possession Of the greatest water
power the south has"
Would Cut Lease.
The minimum time for lease Of
government lands containing water
power possibilities. ne said. should
he so years and only that long. UNI
less the license was made subject 20
the regulations Of the federal water
power act. He opposed the 100
years period on the ground that il
was impractical from business
standpoint and no contract negotiat-
cd at this time could be made APP
plicabIe 10 conditions he believed
would prevail in 2022.
Another feature OF the Ford offer
which was mentioned by the witness
was that agreeing to pay four per-
cent interest on the money which
would be necessary TO complete the
two dams at Muscle Shoals. He said
he total amount expended and re-
Quired 10 be spent upon those pro-
iects. estimated at SS&,175,475
should be made interest bearing and
pointed out that the government
was paying four percent and more
for the money &c had borrowed.
Development OF power at Muscle
Shoals under the Ford offer, Mr..
CooDer asserted. would he approNi-
mately at half the same costs
M at Niagara Falls and the Keokuk
dam across the Mississippi and at
less than one half the rate cost for
the same class of energy developed
i'm the commercial power territory
Within reach of Muscle Shoals.
Personal Experience.
While the witness said that he
realized that the people of the south
were crying for the contamination
of the Ford oner." ne firmly believ-
cd they would be crying for its
3brogstion before the lease period
expired. He declared that belief
was predicated on personal expert
euce i'm water power development i'm
The past 30 years including that at
Niagara Falls The power had been
used for chemical purposes there. he
said. not unlike the plans hand UNI
derstood Mr. Ford had for Muscle
shoals and vet Buffalo, about %
miles away had been compelled 70
build a steam power plant TO serve
its needs.
Mr.. Cooper was called BY Chair
man Kahn 90 the witness stand
after Theodore Swami. president Of
the federal PHOSPHORUS company az
birmingham. Ala. had explained
The possibilities for extensive chem
zeal operations. including the manu-
fac-ure Of cheap Fertilizer at Muscle
shoals He said his company had
dennltel assured the success Of
Muscle Shoals operations by apply
inE satisfactorily certain new pro.
cesses I'm the birmingham plant
which could be duplicated on a
s.reater scale at Muscle Shoals
supports Offer.
r.. W WorthinEtou. representing
The Tennessee River Improvement
association. concluded his statement
in support 90 the Ford offer In the
morning. lie urged acceptance OF
Mr.. Ford's plan and said II the De
t~oit manufacturer was given the
opportunity at the shoals an extens-
i've development q water power in
the upper Tennessee river. where
Continued on page two)