The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-18
Trio Of Southern Power Corporations, Includ-
 ing. Alabama COm-
 pany After Project
NUMBER PROVISIONS
 CONTAINED IN BID
Clear Cut Statement From Ford Interests Is Anticipated By
 House Military Committee
WEEKS NOW STUDYING BIDS
Absence Of Guarantee To Make Nitrates By Others Than
 Ford Brings Comment

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17.-(By Associated Press.) - Secertary Weeks received today joint offer made by three southern power com- panies proposing a 50-year lease to them of the governments power projects at Muscle Shoals, Ala, for which $100,000,000 in rentals will be paid during that period.
 The companies propose under the lease to construct transmission lines for power, making it avail able to manufacturing centers of the south and other sections of the country; to provide 100000 horse- power at cost for use in the manu- facture of fertilizer at Muscle Shoals, and contribute a fund of $1,000, ,000, to be used under gov ernment control in electro-chemical research. Other provisions include an offer to purchase the Sheffield steam plant at the shoals for $4,500, ,000, or lease it, if the gov- ernment prefers to retain owner ship of that unit.
 The proposal was signed by C. M. Clark of the Tennessee Electric Pow CT company. E. W. Hill of the Memphis Power and Light company, and Thomas W. Martin of the Alabama Power com pany. It will be carefully studied by war department officials, it is said, be- fore being submitted by them to Con- gress for final decision along with the other offers being considered by House and Senate committees.
 Ford To Make Statement
 Announcement by Chairman Kahn of the House military committee that a ''clear cut" statement on the offer for lease and purchase of the Shoals prop critics by the Ford interests would be made before the committee Tuesday, and that other proposals now in the hands of war department officials should be delivered to that body by that time, caused Secretary Weeks to speed up consideration of the proposals by his department. It was not be- lieved, however, that the studies could be concluded in time to submit the of- fers to the House committee by the date fixed by Chairman Kahn.
 Among those being studied at the war department is the tentative pro- posal received yesterday from +. H. Hooker, president of Niagara Falls, N. Y., chemical company, and another, also presented to the war secretary in tentative form, the. source of which has not been disclosed.
 Mir. Hooker was in conference again today with Secretary Weeks, but no statement was forthcoming after the meeting. It is known, however, that Mir. Hooker believes great chemical industry can be successfully set up at Muscle Shoals and be expanded to other than chemical productions as the pos- abilities of the region are unfolded.
 Sees Cheap Power.
 Mir. Kahn made brief reference to the probability of obtaining some statement from MT. Ford after several members of the committee had ex- pressed doubt whether the Detroit manufacturer now desired to take over Muscle Shoal, and after O. c. Merrill, executive secretary of the federal pow CT commission, had told the committee that if he did he would be able ito
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