Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-02-28
FORD OFFER ON
MUSCLE SHOALS
IS SIDETRACKED
Way Is Cleared to Begin
Consideration of the Rival
Proposal of the Alabama
Power Company.
tpg INC AssocIated Press.l }


Washington, Feb. q (by the AS
sociated Press) The Ford offer
for purchase and lease Of the gov
ernment project at Muscle Shoals,
Ala, was temporarily sidetrecked
today by the house military COM
mittee, and the way was cleared to
| begin consideration tomorrow of
the rival proposal for the same
properties submitted by the Ala
bama Power company.
At the same time Chairman
Kahn said the committee hoped to
dispose by the end of thu week of
all hearings on offers before it,
| Including those from Ir. Ford. the
Alabama Power company ami
Frederick Fngstrum and begin
work next week on preparing a
report for the house, reciting the
committees opinions on the vari-
GUS proposals it will have studied.
While the power comrany omit
ted in its PROPOSAL to make any
provision for the manufacture OF
fertilizer or the operation of MI
u dltN HlhlllS NJ / anu NO q, II
was understood that its officials
had received information from in
dependent interests indicating that
they would ask the government for
lease Of the plants for use in COM
mercial fertilizer pr 1uction.
1t was pointed out that this en-
terprise would be established by
new capital from American sources
and be entirely independent of the
power companyor exi, ting fertilizer
producers, in the event the Ala
bama company's offer was accept
ed by CONGRESS- and powC would be
made available for oneration of the
plants under the terms of the bid.
In defending the contract which
the company executed with war de-
partment officials for the buildi g
of an addition to the Warrior plant
and transmitting mower to Muscles
Shoals nitrate factories during the
war Mr.. Dent declared the con-
tract was "fair and just" and was
drafted In the same standardized
way" that hundreds Of other con-
tract were framed in war times.
Senate hearings on war contracts
negotiated h'' the war department
and investigated by congress were
read into the record by Mr.. Dent
to show that in agreeing to nur-
chase the Warrior plant ut ''fair
value" or compelling the govern
ment to remove the plant from the
nrivatelv owned grounds Of the
Alabama Power company, that con-
cern had done nothing more than
Henry Ford had in contracting to-
make Tagie boats for the govern
m nant ctrrfng rnu war.
Mr.. Dent explained that the
Dlants used for boat construction
in Michigan were huilt by the gov
ernment on Mr.. Ford's property
with the understanding stipulated
in contract form that the buildings
would be removed unless they were
purchased by the Detroit manufac-
turer.
Both Mr.. Martin and Mr. Dent
insisted that the government should
discharge its obligations with re-
spect to the Warrior plant and re-
reatedly declared the coLlpany's
Willingness to purchase it at fair
price. or whatever price a board OF
might aeree upon. They
were equally as insistant. however, |
that the government should not
"violate the contract, condemn the
proncrty in question nd deliver 1t |
to Mr.. Ford" and intimated that
the comnany would oppose any
such effort through every known
procedure under the laws.