Evening star., 1924-03-30


culture, and then the Senate
itself. will be called upon in
short time to say what shall
be done with Muscle Shoals - the
greatest potential water-power dc
Velopment in the country, required
for the fixation of atmospheric nitro
gen, to be used to make explosives in
time of war and to make cheap fer
tilizers for the farmer at all times.
The House has already passed the So
called Muscle Shoals bill, accepting
the offer of Henry Ford for the entire
project-voting, March 10, 227 to 142
in favor of the measure.
Despite the large majority obtaine
1or the Ford proposal in the House.
that proposal is likely to have rough
shedding in the Senate. Three groups
exist both in the committee and in
the Senate itself. which will make it
very difticult-impossbl even-to get
through any legislation diSposing of
Muscle Shoals at this time. One of
these groups, headed by Senator Nor
ris of Nebraska, republican, chairman
of the committee on agriculture. de-
SlreS the government to make the de-
Nelopmcnt of Muscle Shoals and to
operate the plants for the fixation of
atmospheric nitrogen. This group is
opposed to turning the water-power
project over to Henry Ford or any
one else. A second group favors the
proposal of Henry Ford and will Yote
for it. A third group is opposed both
70 government operation and to the
Ford offer The last group may rally
TO the support of the so-cSled nitrate
power companies offer-a group of
southern power companies.
The question is whether any measure
can command a ma jority.
During the last Congress the Senate
committee on agriculture struggled with
the Muscle Shoals problem. but without
being able to reach any agreement on a
measure for its final disposition. The
committee then stood seven in favor of
the Ford proposal and nine against it
On the proposal for government de-
Nelopment and operation, as advanced
by Senator Norris only five voted AYE"
IN committee. They were Senators Nor
lis, McNary, Gooding. Norbeck and Nc
kinney. All of the bids except of Henry
Ford were rejected unanimously by the
Senate co~Inittee at that time
Sstuatfon Is Changed.
The situation is somewhat changed
now The southern power companies in
Guiding tSs Tennessee Electric Power
Company, the Memphis Power and
Light Company and the Alabama Power
Company. have submitted a new offer,
whose terms are declared by supporters
to be far more liberal than any other
proposal SO far submitted This offer
was before the House, however, when ii
voted in favor of the Ford offer And
when the terms of the two offers are
considered side by side the rejection of
the power companies offer by the House
can only be construed as a tribute to
Henry Ford. to the belief of the coun-
try in his industrial genius or to a won
oerfully we'll conducted Ford propa-
ganda.
Also the Senate committee has two
new. members. Senator Ralston of In
diana, democrat, and Senator johnson of
Minnesota, farmer-laborite. The other
members of the committee are the same
as in the last Congress, except that
former Senator Page of Vermont re-
publican, is no longer a member
Farmers of the country have been
greatly interested in the question of the
disposal of Muscle Shoals. Nitrogen is
needed as an ingredient for the manu-
facture of fertilizer. They have had to
depend very largely in the past upon
imported nitrates-largely from Chile
just as the manufacturers of explosives
have had to do.
L. =. Has Spent S125,OOO, 900.
The air is full of nitrogen" But
1t is a costly process to get this nj
trogen out of the air, and requires
vast power development. With the de-
yelopment of the great water power
project at Muscle Shoals, however it
will be possible to fix this atmospheric
nitrogen very cheaply, it is said 1t was
with this in view that the government
expended millions of dollars when
the war began to make it possible
TO obtain all the nitrogen needed for
the manufacture of explosives at
Muscle Shoals. One way and another
the government has expended S125,-
100000 there.
The offer for Muscle Shoals made by
the power companies was drafted into
a bill-the Hull bill-and was report
cd by minority of the House mill
tary affairs committee to the House
this year, when the Ford bill was re-
ported by majority. comparison
of the two offers. as contained in the
TWO bills. gives ample food for
thought. The Ford bill proposes the
establishment of a company capitaliz-
ed at S10.000,000. while the companies
bill proposes a. company capitaliZed at