Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1924-10-16

1--WE have been, and still are, deeply
interested in Muscle Shoals as a ma
tional asset. There is small promise
now that it ever will be a national as
set-more likely it will be only an ex-
pense. That concerns every one OF us
as citizens.
SIN the Ford business, once we make
I'D our minds to do anything we go
right ahead and do it, with the least
possible waste of time, energy, or
money"
Are Moving So Fast
Have Passed Muscle Shoals
eve are moving SO fast and the
settlement of Muscle Shoals future
seemed so far away, that we had to
find other means to do the things we
could have accomplished at Muscle
Shoals. In fact we have passed Mus
Gle Shoals. Productive business can
not wait on politics. Therefore we
are withdrawing our bid.
This Mr.. Ford said meant ne mac
withdrawn from Muscle Shoals ano
everything that pertained to It,.
We have made our bid. SAID ne
"now let them make us a bid Ano
thew will not have to wait three years
for their answer. We can tell them
in five minutes. -,
Mr.. Ford explained that due to the
exigencies of war the Government
snent much more money on muscle
Shoals than private enterprise would
have spent, and that as a result VI
the investment, nitrates could be pro-
duced bv the Government only TOT
war purposes, because in peace time
thew would be too expensive to sell
to the farmers.
"Our bid, he said was intended to
develop method by which the pup
les money could be made productive
and eventually returned to the puDiic
treasury at a profit, while at the same
time we should produce nltrates at
sufficiently low cost to sell them, to
the farmers at a traction OF what 'iie'
now have to pay"
Wanted to Do Something
For The South e..
Mr.. Ford said if it had not been tor
the possibility of doing something tof
the South he would not have waitea
on Muscle Shoals so long. lie adoeo
significantly however that Muscle
Shoals is not the only hope OF the
South Then he announced that while
the POLITICIANS were delaying, the Ford
management was pursuing. its orderly
business. "a great business enter,
nr;se" he said. "can never stand still "
Here Mr.. Ford disclosed the tact
that he has succeeded in buying, about
one hundred and sixty thousand acres ores
- cal lands located in Kentucky 2OO
miles from Muscle Shoals. =.
Owe find from our experience at
the River Rouge plant that we can
generate electrical power IN tnese ga "a
lands to any extent we may neeo anu
at a cheaper rate than we could uiiuei
our bid at Muscle Shoals, ne sala,
"And also we can generate IN on
own way entirely outside. OF an pom,
t;cai influence or political NEEDING,
he added. "That is why we have iost
interest in Muscle Shoals.
when we bid for Muscle ohoals
we could have used it. Now we can
achieve the same results in anothel
way. IT,. ,,,e could not
send electricity very far, but now wit !,
h;oh tension methods we can seno IL
hundreds of miles. That Will pc tne
basis of our operations in Kentucky.
an the coal fields we shall erec'
whatever size plant seems to- De nee
essarv y We shall not burn any
raw coal. It is too wastetul to Durh
forecoa1. We shall distill all our coal
hit we have not decided what process
IS dist;llation to use At the Rouge