The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-10-14

gia, North Carolina and South Caro- lima could be supplied with current.
 The power company had prior to September 24, 1923, and still has under lease, the transformer ana Waco transmission line of the gov ernment, with the right to use the Gorgas transmission line and access sories thereto in supplying current to its customers. This last lease was recently made the basis of an appli- cation for a permit of convenience and necessity, before the Alabama public service commission, for au- thority to expend approximately million dollars by the power com pGny in preparing to supply current to the Sloss Iron and Steel company and other patrons in north Alabama.
 The power company, it will thus be seen, had this property of the government under lease, with full right to use and operate the same. and was under obligation to use ana operate the same, not only for the purpose of supplying current to the government but also for the purpose of supplying current to its general customers. If the government, pur- suant to the notice of the power company given in April, had re- moved the Gorgas plant and trans mission line from the land of the power company, the power cOHHpaHy thus would have been violating solemn obligation, which it had with it's customers to supply current by means of this very property. These two leases are referred to merely for the purpose of showing lack of good faith on the part of the power company in giving the notice in question.
 As bearing on the question of this good faith in giving the notice, 1t would be interesting to ascertain the amount that the power company has paid the government for the use of the governn}Snt property, thus power company has made of same. Taking and Payins for Power.
 It is inconceivable for moment that the Attorney General would have answered the secretary's ques- tion in the affirmative had he been informed that the Alabama Power company, subsequent to the alleged default on the part of the govern ment to take current after July, 1919, made with the government a further contract in writing whereby, for valuable consideration, the power company agreed to supply current to the government at Muscle Shoals by means of the use of gov ernment property, located on the power companyS S lands, and under such contract was in fact supplying current to the government by means of this government property prior to April, in April and since April and was and is still under obligation to continue supplying it by this means until June 30, 1924
 It is further ineonceivable that the Attorney General would have answered the secretary's question in the affirmative had he been in- formed that the government, prior to July. 1921, had Deen regularly taking and paying for current from the Alabama Power company, and that for 12 months next preceding July, 1921, the government had paid the power company on an average of more than $6,000 month for cur rent transmitted over the Gorgas 1 transmission line.
 Neither the Attorney General nor 1 the President were informed of the above material and vital facts be- fore the sale was consummated. l Do not the facts hereinabove re- cited well illustrate the devious ways not infrequently employed by selfish interests to defeat a fair considera- ton of wholesome legislation, in the hope that valuable government prop erty may ultimately be exploited for selfish gain?