New Britain herald., 1924-12-23
FEDERAL REGULATION OF
 SCIE SHOALS

ht NJ its Ntto4t1~
 This is not intended to help you In solving a crossword puzzle, al- though 1t may come in handy soon- CT or later, Getting down to bed , rock, brass tacks or other funda- menias-what is the difference be- tween nitrate and nitrogen?
 Thought We heard 8 voice from i the physics class at the high school; but never mind. Tho difference be- tween the two words, or the things they stand for, don't interest US greatly They are of greater moment to the L. & senate, which has been debating the Muscle Shoals ques- ton.
 II is stated that only one senator ---Ladd of North Dakota, who is a
 chemist and teacher hy profession knew Of the distinction between
 nitrate and nitrogen when the de-
 bate started, so that he had much
 the advantage in "dcbating' with
 his less learned colleagues,
 The main question about the
 Muscle Shoals debate Is whether the
 chief use Of the great engineering
 development shall be to furnish
 power or produce nitrogen for ferti-
 lizcr Farmers want the Shoals de-
 velopment used for fertilizer; others
 want it to provide cheap power for
 the contiguous tier of southern
 states.
 Senator Ladd wants Muscle Shoals
 to be mainly devoted to the making
 Of artificial nitrogen for fertilizer So
 does Senator Norris. But the two
 differ as 10 the method Senator
 Ladd thinks that Henry Ford should
 be given the opportunity to manu-
 facture the fertilizer, while Senator
 Norris thinks the government should
 keep the property and develop the
 fertilizer business. I.add thinks Ford could do it better than the
 government; Norris disagrcos on
 this point,
 Ladd thinks that Ford could bc
 Induced to repeat his offer for Muscle Shoals if the senate should pass on h.s offer Garorobly, as the
 house has done. The adminisfra- ; lion fayors Ford be given a chance to carry out his experiments ,t Manufacture Of artificial nitrogen for fertilizer is comparatively , new thing. dating from the war, . when inability to procure nitratcs , from Chni stimulated Germany to { devise a. means Of making them ar r tifcialy. Hut to the present time
 it is conceded that artificial nitro gen cannot be made as cheaply as |, the stuff can be imported from , Chiu, where the worlds biggest and
 only nitrate deposits arc situated. s The Undcrwood btil, which is the U cause Of the verbal disruption u ] the senate, would leave Muscle Q Shoals where it now IS - power y producing plant. Backors Of the Q bill point out that if Muscle Shoals f should manufacture all the nitro
 gen claimed for it by either the F Iadd or Norris fcrtilizef parilzans r it still would make only onc-thir' y tieth Of the quantity being i'm :. porcd from Chit annually; ant - nat anyway. nitrogen forms onl! d 10 percent of the elements in fer
 ulzor.
 s Some Of tho oJ-octtons to th' = Underwood bill, however, are hase' IL uron the premise that f would re e ease Muscle Shoals from hnita l. lions governing all o'hor f@dera il water-powcr grants They soc ln tn j. Underwood plan an "fort 10 2i@!'
 vast power resun noir to some for r. innate concerns without even th 'e customary federal safeguards, A l. a general propost.tou bascd upo
 sound public policy. t.- ma,or''T 0 l. ihe public will he found opposin e' any such scheme, The go'o"meH ly should have nothing 10 give ava 10 power company. The pmnar 1- principles of go'crnmcu- r"eu'a ii ton and other So'ornme0t2l Safe ol guards should not bc abandoned,