The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-01-14
NO REASON FOR SHOALS DELAY

NO REASON FOR SHOALS DELAY
 The army appropriations bill reported to the house provides S6,99S, 300 for carrying on work at Muscle Shoals during next year and authorizes the Secretary of War to incur contract obligations of $10,501, 200. Army engineers estimate that these funds will be sufficient to complete Dam No. and install eight power plants. It is proposed that the government continue development of the Muscle Shoals project without regard for any pending offers from private sources. Brigadier General Taylor, assistant to the chief of army engineers, declares that it would be good investment for the gov ernment to continue work at the Shoals, which is contrary to he opinion previously expressed in Congress and in other quarters that the government has already spent so much money that it would be impossible to get a fair return on the investment if it were, sold or leased to private interests
 Whatythe people are chiefly interested in is the earliest possible use of the project forfproducing cheap power and fertilizer. Completion of the plants by the government will merely postpone the ultimate disposal of the property. In the meantime, the puh- lie will be denied the advantages it might gain from Muscle Shoals as center of in dustrial expansion in the south. Solution of the controversy which has been going on in Congress ever since MT. Ford made his offer will be farther away than ever, in spite of the demand from all parts of the country that Congress take immediate action to dis pose of the Muscle Shoals property. Gen eral Taylor is quoted as saying: T believe that if the government goes ahead andfin- ishes this work, and has a finished thing to offer,7it will get much better offer for it than if it were sold in it's present condition.s When we tried to get offers everybody came back with the question: What have you to offer?' How much power are you going to deliver?' and When are you going to de- liver it?','
 But there is no assurance that anything of this sort will happen. It will be recalled that no one, with the exception of MT, Ford, made a proposal for Muscle Shoals that could be taken seriously and that promised the government anything like fair return. With millions added, it is even less likely that private interests would be willing to take the plants off the governments hands at a reasonable price. The more money the government spends at Muscle Shoals, the . more it will have to get back from those who lease the property, and as for govern ment operation, that has been previously discounted as impractical and contrary to public policy. Why should there be any question as to how much power will be de- veloped and when it will be delivered, when experts have already estimated the amour. of power that can be developed and under what conditions? Acceptance of the Ford offer would end the uncertainty once and for all. He is willing now to undertake the development of Muscle Shoals and start in- dustrial enterprises on extensive scale which would give employment to thousands of men. Even opponents of Mr. Ford admit that his proposal is the only one made that could be seriously considered Who will make a better one several years hence? Who will make a better one now? The peo- pie being prevented from enjoying the benefits of Muscle Shoals by these addi- tional delays. Had the Ford offer been promptly accepted, his development of an industrial area there would have been well under way by this time.