The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-04-22
FORDCITED TO REFIyTE MONOPOLY Harrison Quotes Promise To. Sell Current Tn
 Wide Area WELLER PAINTS
 DRAB PICTURE Predicts That The South Would Suffer Through Shoals Concentration ROCKERS PROMISE
 WEEVIL REMEDY But Bidders Admit That Any Other Lessee Could Produce
 Same Materials
(Washinrton Bureau)

WASHINGTON, April 21.--when : Francis R. Weller, ,sengineer in the sery- ! ice of E. H. Hooker, nitrogen producer who has submitted bid for Muscle Shoals, painted melancholy picture Of the south deprived of Muscle Shoals power through it's concentration by Henry Ford,h Senator Harrison, before the Senate committee on agriculture to- day, read into the record statement by Henry Ford himself to the effeet that he would disseminate all surplus power 200 miles in every direction from its source.
 Senator Norris, chairman of the com. paittee and bitter opponent of the Ford offer. immediately engaged Senator liar rison in a warm debate as to the sin cerity of Ford in that statement.
 There is nothing to that effect in his offer" said Norris,
 T wish that FoEd, in person. would appear and correct the statement df his engineer before the House committee on military affairs that Ford had no in. tention of selling current. If an amend ment is offered requiring Ford to sell surplus current his senatorial support would fight it."
 Ford Not To Appear
 In this connection, Norris announced that Ford had found it impossible to come to Washington oh account of a previous engagement, but that there was an indication that his chief engineer would ask for permission to give testi- ,mony.
 The entire hearing today was given over to witnesses in behalf of the Hooker bid. Albert Hooper, brother of the bid der, nationally known chemist, gave the committee a prospectus of what could be done by those for whom he spoke. with Muscle Shoals .power. h addition to enormous alfantiftls of faF. , fiiizsr ~ half the existiiis pFlcRs, he de ciared that calcium arsenate for the destruction of the boil weevil, and q mineral for the eradication of black rust from wheat could be produced to prosper the world.
 Questioned by Senator Heflin of Ala. bama, he declared that others than the Rockers could likewise produce boons for humanity at Muscle Shoals, which impressed the members with the idea that the claims of Ford, scoffed at in the beginning, were not at all visionary.
 Hope Of Science
 The idea has come to be accepted that Muscle Sh0als constitutes much of the hope of future development in science, and advocates of the offer are bent on insisting that for that very reason Con- gress should not weight too heavily dol lars and cents, or place too much de- pendence on split hairs in disposing of the property.
 Engineer Weller resorted, in his con clusion, to the familiar trick of attempt- ing to divide the Ford support by de- claring that Ford in possession of Mus ole Shoals would build single city in a single state which would ''dele- teriously affect every other city and state of the south" He declared the fu- ture of the south dependent on an abun- dance of cheap water power, and that with Hooker in possession of the prop erty the future of the south would be assured.
 The session of the committee was fea- tured by repeated debates between the chairman and every witness who failed to defend government operation, and the apparent desire of the chairman and some of his associates that as much time be consumed as possible