The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-09-13
STILL JUGGLING THE SHOALS

that secretary WeeKS VIII prOpaDly continue to oppose the Ford offer for Muscle Shoals, even though the latter should eliminate the Gorgas plant from the properties bid for. It is evidently the secretary's purpose to turn tEe power development over to the Ala bama Power Company, if he can pos sibly do so, for he is reported as say ing that the government would receive more benefit from the distribution of current through the medium of a transmission company. It all depends government. There are many equally able thinkers who believe that it would be more to the public advantage to have a' nitrate plant in constant readi- ness to produce explosives when needed, than to sacrifice this import ant feature of the wartime develop ment at Muscle Shoals. Unlike the power company's bid, Ford's plan con- templates the production of fertilizer and the keeping of the plant in con- dition to turn out explosives on short notice and in quantity. Naturally, if the plant is kept in operation, its for mulae, methods And equipment will keep pace with the general progress in this line of manufacture. As secre- tary of war this factor should appeal to MT. Weeks. That it does not appear  to is no compliment to his sagacity.
 The Washington dispatches err in saying that on the completion of the Wilson dam, the Gorgas plant would be of no further use to MT. Ford. On the contrary, the Gorgas plant would be of little use to Mr. Ford until the dam is completed. The Gorgas plant is small steam plant located near coal mine ninety-one miles from the nitrate plant, and was regarded as necessary to supply auxiliary power at Muscle Shoals when the water flow is lower than normal. The Gorgas plant is needed by MT. Ford for the same req son that the Alabama Power Company wants it, namely to take up the slack during periods of diminished flow, fo~ diminished flow means also diminished power development at the hydro electric stations. The argument that the government already has a much larger steam plant at Muscle Shoals, which makes the smaller plant unnec- essary, is not valid, because it would not pay to operate the large plant to supply just few thousand horse power daily. The smaller Gorgas plant, however, would supply this small power efficiently, thence on up to its capacity. Beyond the capacity of the smaller plant the large steam plant would furnish maximum equiv alent of 90,000 horsepower. Let mo- body be misled by the statement that the Gorgas plant is merely subject for academic discussion. The govern ment itself has removed all argument as to the close association between Gorgas and Muscle Shoals by it's earn est efforts during the war to have this plant enlarged and in readiness for service in time of need, in conjunc- tion with hydro-electric development at Muscle Shoals.
 The report that MT. Ford was in ignorance as to the claim of the Ala bama Power Company to priority with respect to Gorgas is incredible. There ; is reason to believe that MT. Ford did not make the admission of ignorance attributed to him. MT. Ford, as quoted in the Detroit News of June ], 1922, said: "The contract by which the Alabama Power Company permit ted the government to build govern ment plant on the company's premises is classic example of how the inter- ests of the people sometimes suffer when dealing with big business inter ests of the Wall Street type. Of course, the Alabama Power Company should not be expected to look out for their own interests and those of the American government, too. Why should they-it was not their govern ment! The Alabama Power Company was financed by British capital. We don't believe that contract should stand. We don't believe that foreign capital should get the benefit of a contract disadvantageous to the Amer ican people and the American govern ment." Indeed, it looks very much as if MT. Ford knew much about the Gorgas contract.
 MT. Gray Silver, head of the Farm Bureau, said that in MT. Weeks the Alabama Power Company had found a ready champion" It would ap- pear to others also that MT. Weeks has shown more concern for the in- terest of the Alabama Power Company than for the public interest with re- spect to Muscle Shoals.
 JET RRANDON NAME THEM