The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-02-16
.FORD'S AGENTS 10
 ASK HEARING IN
 EXECUTIVE SESSION
Secretary Weeks Will Send New Offer to Congress With Remarks En-
 tirely Favorable
By HUGH V. ROBERTS Washington Bureau, The Age Herald

soc Davidson Buildins.
 Washington, February 15.-(Spe- cial.)-The Alabama Power company today submitted to the Secretary of War an offer for Muscle Shoals which is obviously more advan- tageous to the government than tn. offer of Henry Ford.
 It is more pleasing to Secretary Weeks than is the Ford offer. The secretary will send it to Congress not with recommendation that it be accepted. but with remarks entirely favorable.
 All the above is in consonance with forecasts repeatedly made in this correspondence
 The advantages to the government possessed by the offer of the Alabama Power company as against the ad- Nantsses of the Ford offer are
 Advantages of offer
 CD The Alabama Power company offers s5,000.000 for two auxiliary steam plants whereas Ford offers that amount for the tVo plants plu nitrate plant No. 3 the cost of whied Was s70. 100000.
 CD The Alabama Power company offers to complete Wilson dam at its own expense and restore it to the government at the conclusion of 5l years. Ford offers to pay 1 per cent interest on a government outlay of $too0o. poo 10 be expended in com tletlne Wilson dam and building dam No S' and to turn the property over in 100 years.
 (3) Ford Agrees Co experiment in the production of fertilizer but does moi guarantee the production during the proposed lease Of loo years, The Aiabana Power saapany agrees 10 furnish the goFe..}neat tree ei charge le0sVeg here power be means ot which to operate nitrate plant No. in the production of fertilizer oi munitions or so to equip any nd- Yidual to whom the government might lease the plant for such purposes.
 Dsm Completion Certain
 t41 Both offers mean tie com pletion of Wilson dam. Ford implies A;cntion 10 develop q vast territory ir north Alabama with new iua tries. The Alabama Power eompaas Implies intention of drawing ntir 1e Grstries to north Alabama by tieas of cheap bower. and expresses aefsea imitation to continue to sere l9ell tries in Georgia, Tennessee. s1afH and North Carolina as well tis- bama.
 There is grave discussion in Wash ngton tonight as to whether or not iiofd will amend his offer in view or the offer of the Alabama Power com ptl!y. II is argued that Muscle Shoais would be as profitable to Ford as to ihe company. and that he is financial V able 10 make sacrifices equal to those of the company,
 on the other hand. were Ford to aiiend his offer upward" he might create tho impre sion that in his OTIS mai offer he wbs attempting to strii;e 2 good bargain at the expense of the government.
 Why Proposal Made
 The power company was promptcd 70 get into the running. according to g statement of it's president. Thoma w. Martin. tonight. because Ford in- siats on the government surrenderinH t3 sim the steam plant on which the DON CT company has an option and w1ich is necessary to the uninterrupe- ed operations of the company and be- cause there is probability of Ford us,ng surplus power to be developed ay Wilson dam in competition with thc company in which event, due to what MT. Martin construes as a gov errment subsidy in favor of Ford. tho company would, be put to great disadvantage.
 The attitude of the military com m,ttee towards the Ford offer Is prac- tically defined. No .epublican mem her would report it without certain amendments guaranteeing the goX- ernment agaist financial loss and guaranteeing continuous produc- ton of fertilizer. only two republt- can members. Representatives Mo Kenzie of Illinois and Hull of Iowa, have sifnified willingness 10
 tContinued on Last PnEe)