The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-06
Coolidge Has Plans

wAsHINGToN. Nov. 5.-By As sociated Press)-Plans for the installation of new power plant and to aid in the disposition of Muscle Shoals were laid before President Coolidge today by Chair man Madden of the House appro- priations committee. Mir. Madden declared Congress was anxious to clean up this Muscle Shoals propo- sition" through the lease or sale of the war built properties to private interests and would turn It's atten- tions along this line at the opening sessions.
 The proposed new plant. MT. Mad den explained, would be built at dams 15, Is and IT, located about 10 miles southwest of Gorgas. A new power transmission line from the plant to Muscle Shoals proper also would be authorized. This would bring a revised offer from Henry Ford for the property, he believed.
 Additional expenditures by private interests of approximately s50,000,000 would establish there the greatest power plant in the wtrld," Repre- sentative Madden said.
 Secretary Weeks announced today that the war department will ap- prove renewal of the lease of the governments power plant at the Will son dam, one of the units of the Muscle Shoals project, to the Ala bama Tower company.
 MT. Madden proposed that the Mus cle Shoals question be disposed of by Congress early in the forthcoming session and the President was un- derstood to have approved the pro- posal.
 Outline Of Plan.
 Under the plan outlined the gov ernment would build or authorize to be built a new plant at dams Is, l6 and IT, located about 10 miles south west Of Gorgas. The Illinois repre- sentative told the President he would soon begin work on bill ernbodying his plan and would have the legis- lation in shape for presentation when Congress convened next month. He said also he believed there was a substantial unity of opinion in the House in favor of a speedy disposi- ton of the Muscle Shoals question.
 "One of the first acts of Congress Shoals proposition" said MT. Madden after his conference. This question has been before Congress long enough and there Is a general opin- ion among House members that the drain on the treasury should be stopped through lease CT sale of the war built properties to private inter ests."
 President Coolidge is understood to have informed MT. Madden that he favorade early settlement of the question.
 The sale of the Gorgas plant to the Alabama Power company brought from Henry Ford the statement that he would not modify his offer for the Muscle Shoals property, which includes the Gorgas steam plant. This plant was held by MT. Ford to be essential to the project Advo- cates of Ford control of the proper ties recently have held conferences here in an effort to work out some way by which a program such as that outlined by Mir. Madden could be put through.
 Sees Good Investment.
 If we can make the southern states more productive through the manufacture of nitrates for fertilizer at Muscle Shoals we will have added that much to the riches and prCs- perity of the whole United States" MT. Madden said. Taking that view of the matter I believe that the gov ernment can afford to make a con tribution in the interest of national prosperity to. the amount 1t origi- nally expended In building the Mus cle Shoals property.
 Representative Madden said that personal survey of the Muscle Sht als section had convinced him that pri- vate interests, through an additional expenditure of approximately ~S5O,- 000,000 could establish there the greatest power plant in the world" He said that private interests in talk ing over the plant undoubtedly would build reservoirs at dams No. and No. which would convert thousands of horse power now classed as secondary power into pri- mary power.
 Private interests, he added, also would see the wisdom of moving the two steam power plants in the vii cinity of the Wilson dam down to the present government property near Gorgas, as such a step would save s2,000 a day in the transporta- ton of coal. now moving from the vicinity of Gorgas up to the Wilson dam location.