The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-01-29
Underwood's Statement Shows His Deep Study
 Muscle Shoals Project
Data Assembled by Senator Is Here Repubshed Be- of Exhaustive Treatment of Nitrate Question-Shows How Nations
 Wealth Will Be Increased

ways demanding cheaper food and tho farmers always desire higher profits for their crops. There is but one way to produce cheaper food for the people and secure greater profits on the farm at the same time, and that way Is to produce more on the farms at less cost. There Is but one way to accomplish this result, and that way Is to furnish agriculture in America with fertilizers at lower prices.
 Germany can be referred tc as promoting European agricultural methods. She has increased in 20 years her grain crop 15 bushels to the acre with cheap nitrogen fertf- lizers. In tho same time the United States has increased it's grain crop threo bushels to the acre. The natu- rally poor soils of Germany today yield practically double that of cor responding crops in the United States due to the liberal use of fertilizers
 "A number of years ago Congress passed bill to dam the Coosa river for hydroelectric power to be used ln the production of air nitrogen in plant to be erected In Montgomery. Through misrepresentation a Pres ident of the United States was in- duced to veto the bill and the plant wont to Canada. The freight cost on every ton of fertilizer by tha' plant and bought by Alabama farm CTS Is s5 a ton.
 'In March, 1916, an amendment to a bill was pending to the national defense act in the House of Represen- tatives to erect an air nitrogen plant In tho United States and was de- feated by the machinations of an un- holy lobby. A few weeks afterward this opposition was exposed In the Senate and an amendment was adopted to the national defense act appropriating $20,o00,000 for the erection of an air nitrogen plant for the manufacture of power in times O. war and fertilizers in times of peace. This proposal was bitterly op- posed by interested parties before it's enactment, and in my opinion ob- structive tactics have continued to be used against its successful con summation down to the present time.
 Sources of Opposition
 Cheap nitrogen would interfere with tho business of some of the great industries of America. There fore, if the government has deter mined to make nitrogen it is mani- festly to the interest of those who oppose the plant to see that it is not made at low cost.
 "The primary cost of the manufac- ture of afr nitrogen by known pro- cesses that are commercially pos- sible is largely determined by the cost of hydroelectric power. There fore, if the farmer is to be benefited by the erection of the plant in the nf 1nuu of fArtt1i1ara cheapest water power possible must be utilized.
 T have advocated the erection Of this plant from the beginning. I be- lieve there is no greater boon that can come to the farmers of the south than plentiful supply of cheap ferti- lizers. The location of this plant at some particular town or place fades Into insignificance compared to the great problem of securing low cost nitrogen for the farmers and cheaper food for the people.
 "I have studied this problem in all It's details for more than five years and I have satisfied myself that aside from Niagara Falls there is no place this side of the Rocky mountains where hydroelectric DOW CT can be produced as low as 1t can OH tHC VhlCSoCO AANVi oh Ah0oSAS Shoals.
 q might make the comparison with all the proposed sites without feat of not being able to esetablish the statement just made, but for the present 1 desire merely to make a comparison between power plant established at Muscle Shoals and one at some point on the Warrior river by a comparison of statements made by government engineers.
 From the very best study I can hmake of the Warrior river and Ten- nesses river power propositions thu case stands practically as follows:
 MT. G. K. Little Qocal government engineer on the Warrior river) re- ports that there Is under his plan for the Warrior river development 47,117 primary horse power and this Is taken from his report without any changes or any question or accuracy of the report.
 Tn the memorandum submitted to the nitrate board, General Black, chief of engineers. United States army, states that the primary avail able 24-hours-per-day power is about 79, 900 horse power with storage, while Mir Little states that the primary 24- hours-p -per-day with storage is 5T117 horse power.
 "Evidently this 79,0o0 horse power stated in the memorandum referred to and submitted to the nitrate board was clerical error. since MT. Little himself claims only 57.117 primary horse power available at the switch board General Black says in giving the estimated cost of Little plan. that the development is based upon 79,S29 horse power at the switchboard.
 By an inadvertance, perhaps, Gen eral Black took the theoretical pri- mary horse power which is available only upon the operation of machinery at 100 per cent efficiency. which MT. Little obviously realizes impossible because he uses 72 per cent erfici- ency.
 An Excussable Error "So it appears that there was. per haps, an excusable error made in the statement to the nitrate board that there would be made available 7S,0o0 continuous 24-hour horse power from