The Washington times., 1924-12-09
SUPPORT is
| GROWING
! FAST
Amendments soIidify South
Orn Democrats and RepubIi-
cans Behind Measure
BY WILLIAM HARD

by WILLIAM HARD
i Senator Underwood Of Alabama
stated today that after inquiry
. among his colleagues he felt con-
fident that the Underwood Muscle
Shoals BILL, as amended by him
self to meet certain of the objec-
tions raised against it by 'Secre-
tary of War Weeks, would BE
passed by the Senate.
Senator Underwood was not dis
mayed by Secretary Weeks dras-
tic criticisms. He said he felt
that his new amendments to- his
bill met those criticisms and re-
moved them satisfactorily, insofar
as they affected any vital points;
and he added emphatically that
In its amended and improved form
the bill would in all probability
acquire q, majority on the Senate
floor.
His Views Endorsed.
This opinion of Senator Under
woods is shared by most observers
In the Press Gallery. Polls of the
Senate indicate that at this. moment
there is a decisive majority for the
Underwood bill.
The changes introduced into the
bill by Senator Underwood are
principally for the purpose OF max.
Ing it easier for a private com.
pany to lease the nitrate properties
belonging to the Government at
Muscle Shoals.
Secretary Weeks essential eriti-
cism Of the original Underwood bill
yesterday was that the demands
made by 1t upon q private company
Offering to take "a lease were so
0nerous and crushing that no
private company could really be
expected even to offer to take a
lease.
Met BY Underwood.
Senator Underwood has met that
criticism by postponing the period
at which the private company
must begin to produce certain given
quantities ofsnitrogen lat the Muscle.
Shoals nitrogen fixation plant.
In the original bill the company
was obligated to produce 10000 tons
Of nitrogen in the first year. 10000
tons in the second year, $4,000 tons
in the third year, and thereafter
10000 tons.
In the amended bill the company
must still ultimately produce 10000
tons a year, but il does not have
to do so until the sixth year of its
lease, and it apparently does not
have to produce any nitrogen at all
In the Muscle Shoals nitrogen-fixa-
ton plant until 1t has arrived at
the third year Of its lease.
Given Breathing Time. 4
Thus a private company would
have certain breathing space and
be able to turn around a couple
OF times and get to feeling at home
before 1t had to deliver any goods at
Muscle Shoals
Opinions differed as to whether
or not this change would suffice. to
, induce any private company to come
forward and offer to undertake the
proposition.
Some OF the more radical mem
bers Of the Senate expressed the
view that the Underwood bill always
was, and now still more is,
method for handing over the Gov.
eminent property at Muscle Shoals,
including the, dam and the quarry
as well as the nitrate plant, to
some private company, presumably
the Alabama Power Company.
Views of Conservatives.
The more conservative Senators
tended to think that even as the
bill now stands 1t offers only a
slender inducement to any private
company to come forward and
carry the risks involved. These
more conservative Senator's think
that the outcome of the Underwood
bill is extremely likely to be one
more highly expensive adventure in
public ownership and. operation.
The bill provides that IL no pri-
vate company takes "a lease on
Muscle Shoals, under the terms laid
down in the bill, then q govern.
mental corporation shall operate
Muscle Shoals and shall produce
nitrogen and heterogeneous fertilizers.
WadswOrth's Opinion.
Senator Wadsworth of New
York expressed the following opin.
ion:
I'VE are TO say to the private com.
pany that 1t ultimately must always
every year, in the sixth year and
ever thereafter, produce forty thou
sand tons of nitrogen. 1t happens
that forty thousand tons of nitrogen
is the extreme ultimate possible |
capacity of the nitrogen fixation
plant at Muscle Shoals.
The private company must obi.
gate itself to produce that extreme
ultimate possible capacity, no matter1
what the price of fertilizers may be
In the market and no matter how
much money It may lose on every
ton that 1t produces.
1T Is just as II we ordered the
Shipping Board and the Emergency
Fleet Corporation to operate ALWAYS
at least one thousand ships and 10
have them always steaming nothing
hiss than fifteen knots an hour.
IT fear that no private company
of which have knowledge will ne