Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-05-20
HEARING ON SHOALS
WILL Be EXPEDITED
BY NIGHT SESSIONS
Congress Adjournment will
Be Opposed Until All
Bids Are Considered

w ASH GION, May IJ.-ANlShC
sessions to expedite action on Mus
Gle Shoals bids will be held by the
senate agriculture committee, mem
BEES agreed today.
An executive session will be held
Wednesday morning to fix date to
close the hearings. The first night
session is scheduled for Tuesday.
The night session agreement was
reached after the committee heard
another request from Senator Har-
rison, Democrat, Mississippi, for
quick action. The Mississippi senat-
or also urged some decision on term
mating the hearings. Chairman Nor
ris declared he thought taking OF
testimony might be ended this week
if night sessions were held.
The chairman said he would op-
pose adjournment of Congress until
action had been taken on the Shoals
bid, and in this he was seconded by
Senator Norbeck, republican, South
Dakota, provided farm relief legis-
lation was given equal priority.
Senate Decision Wanted
Senator Harris said he wanted all
of the Muscle Shoals bids brought
to the senate floor and that if the
Ford bid was defeated, he wanted
some other plan adopted.
Senator Heflin, Democrat, Ala
bama, opposed the plan.
Theodore Swami, of Birmingham,
Ala, president of the Federal Phos-
phorus company and Federal Ferti-
lizer company, and an associate in
the fertilizer bid of the power com
panieS, was the first witness called
today He said fertilizer could be
made at Muscle Shoals at lower
cost, but added it could be oVerdone
by to omuch production.
Urging the use of concentrated
fertilizer, Swami said if it was used
universally, 100000 tons would
take the place of the 100000 to
7.5000 tons of ordinary mixed fer
tlizer used each year during the
past decade, representing saving
in freight to the farmer of approXi-
mately 5000, 900 tons.
THE use of the nations water
ways is another step in cheapenlnS
the cost of plant food to the farm
err" he said. Tank barges could be
used to carry concentrated fertilizer
from Muscle Shoals to the entire
Mississippi valley via the Tennessee
and Ohio rivers, and, as a return
cargo bring to. Muscle Shoals liquid
ammonia from the by-product coke
ovens at st. Louis. Chicago, Pitts
burg and other points along the
river.
This would save the cost OF buy
ing one ton of sulphuric acid to fix
each ton Of sulphate ammonia,
which contains onlyl 25 per cent
plant food, phosphoric acid being
used to fix the ammonia instead.
by utilizing the present and flu
ture inter-cOnnected power systems
of the associated power companies,
operating costs could he balanced be-
tween locations of phosphate rock
deposits in Tennessee and in Florida.
Power to be Required
Swami said he believed Muscle
Shoals power would be required for
industrial purposes in a few years.
DIR. j. w. Tornetine, of the Blu
reau of Soils of the department of
agriculture, followed Swami on the
stand with a technical discussion on
fertilizer production.
Tornetine said it was conceded
that nitrate plant number one had
to be rebuilt and that the great cost
involved inclined him to the belief
that the government was misled IL
building it at all.
Replying to Chairman Norris,
Torentine said he approved the Nor
ris bill for government operation,
and in answer to Senator Heflin, he
said he did not think the govern
ment should go in business except
''as nthe case OF fertilizer produc-
ton, where private enterprise had
fallen down"
Senator Heflin said seven fertilizer
concerns controlled the price of ferti-
lizer, and had formed a powerful
trust, and Torentine declared eX-
istence of such trust would prove
that private producers had failed,
and could not operate except through
a combine.