The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-05-10

The Nebraska senator's criticism committees investigation of the priv ate proposals for Muscle Shoals pending for acceptance before Con- gress and was made during the after noon examination of Gray Silver. Washington representative of the American Farm Bureau federation. Mir. Silver urged acceptances of the Ford offer on the ground that 1t would reduce the cost of fertilizer for the farmers and aid agriculture generally.
 Two Recon me ndntions
 At the morning session the com mittee heard pr. William Mcclellan of New York. president of the Amer ican Institute of Electric engineers. who submitted two definite recon- mendations regarding the future treatment of the Muscle Shoals proj- ect.
 Congressional action to protect the existing construction an dequipment at Muscle Shoals from deterioation was urged and an appropriation or S7,500,0 GOO to initiate construction work for year on the Wilson dam being suggested as part of this pro- gram. It was also recommended that an engineering board of review be organized by the Senate agriculture and the House military bodies to rec cmmend to the committees a general plan of procedure to be followed in connection with Muscle Shoals.
 In urging adoption of the two rec concentrations Dr. Mcclellan declar- ed that the engineers and business men who had made a detailed study 9f Muscle Shoals to date, "have done so for some reason of their own, and aot from the st raroint of the gov .rnment'
 "The only way iAs gavefnment 70 get an imps r-Efl 6sYseW of the commercial and cfsiHe7rinF fatures 3f the situation. 9s ae' silan con ifrHrf "'~ Tor tr#a= teH eer7 f1iftees .slt,tIs esaAra # Less 'haa s eHs5r 44 hsa gneref e9lan tsee tn
 aGN a5eesT siataa'aNts fff Hsss been pitrttted W nefis Htfs ssF AfH ff unssnA
 HefIin Obleee sss u.lay
 pr. Mcclellan estiF stta tfat com plete survey could s Hde Titnlh SIX months when saA Y .flln. Ala Dana, opJeCttu V +HAa A t5 'e - in acting upon the pfHs a npW uh der consideration IAe Aipama member flatly declared aiInsslt Tn favor of immedi ts 4eeeptins Henry Fords offer.
 Chairman Nor Rnd other sena- tors seemed incli4td e favor the suggestion of Dr. Mcclellan md ex- pressed the belief that such a report as the proposed board Of revieW might make would be of great as- sistance to the agriculture committees in arriving at It's final decision.
 pr. Mcclellan offered to engage an official of the institute to see that such a committee of engineers with commercial experience is placed at she disposal of the congressionai committees"
 Pending such an investigation as 10 fust how the propect should pc handled" he added, certain funda- mental propositions should be ao- cepted First. the government unoer no circumstances should alienate its nitrate plants until an adequate plan is agreed upon for the completion of these nitrate plants or the construc- ton of nitrate plants at some more favorable point, should this be found
 "Second. the works at Muscle Shoals. with any conStruction equip ment. should be protected at once so that they cannot deteriorate during the investigation period
 Little progress was made today py inc House military committee where di scussion of the Ford offer continues in executive session. The commit te., adjourned until tomorrow without an agreement on the paragraph it had under consideration.
 Opposes All Corporations
 Chairman Norris, denouncing the Ford proposai, declared that no cor- poration'' would get the Muscle shoals properties with his consent.
 That applies to any damn corpora tion,' the senator exclaimed. T dont care If it's Ford's, or any other.
 Turning to Mir. Silver. the senator then said:
 You know that If Rockefeller or
 tContinued on Page Two.)