The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-04-04
COMMUNITY CLUB
 STAYS NEUTRAL
tcsntInusd From Pass ons)

(csntInued From Pass on) fense of his party as to be forced to advocate something which, when the situation changed, he could not also change
 In brief Robertson said
 Let us consider the Muscle Shoils situation, not in bitterness, but with open minds, seeking for the truth.
 Immediately following the war there was some talk of junking Muscle Shoals. This was rapidly gaining in favor when the Ford bid came.
 Consider the Ford offer. Ford offers $5,000,000 for Nitrate Plants 1 and ?, a steam plant to cost almost the price of his bid, and equipment for develop ing $500 horse power. What he pro- poses to get for $1,500,000, which is what his bid amounts to after the gov ernment has met his requirements of building steam plant, is fee simple title to property valued at $S0,000, ,000. interest or he could sell it for various up into millionaires or to ruin"
 At the opening of his answer to this address, Sadler dwelt largely upon the
 
 as proposed by Ford. Later he took up, and discussed, the Ford bid for Muscle Shoals.
 'The chief asset of any nation is it's agriculture" he said. "A decline in agriculture is followed by decline in the nations which may be most ably stopped through the use of fertilizer.
 'The loss of fertilizer in this country is not so noticeable as it is in other countries for when one sections ceases to produce, people move on to another"
 Sadler then quoted figures from New England attesting the loss of fertility of the soil.
 ''In 1922" the speaker continued, "the United States bill for fertilizer to $326,00O,O00.
 Nitrate is the essential part of fer tilizer and to Chile, 4,000 miles away, we must now turn for our nitrate. There is an immense total export duty on this nitrate.
 Cut Fertilizer Bill
 With the proper working of Mus cle Shoals we could cut our fertilizer bill in half, or it would be a saving of $175,OOO,O00.
 Germany learned what the loss of nitrate in wartime means and if it had not been for the discovery of a process of taking nitrogen from the air, her would have been cut off and her war industry crippled.
 The improvement in Muscle Shoals by Henry Ford calls for the manufac- ture of fertilizer in time of peace and nitrate, so vital to munitions, in time of war.
 "When opinion seemed to run toward the junking of Muscle Shoals Dr. Glas- coy sent out a number of letters to various private enterprises offering them Muscle Shoals at their own price. He received not one reply.
 "A short time later General Beach made like request and he received no bids, but letter from a certain power company in this district which said it was not interested in Muscle Shoals as fertilizer plant and advised, in spirit, to go ahead and junk it.
 Later a private citizen of Alabama sent letter to Henry Ford asking that he interest himself in the matter. Some time after this Ford made a offer to the war department where it remained for seven months while the aluminium trust, the fertilizer trust and the power company shot holes through it.
 Five days after public opinion had forced the Ford offer from the war de- partment certain power company in this district sent an offer for Muscle Shoals. Two and One-haH years later, with several amendments, it introduced the offer which now stands.
 Cost To Government
 'Let us consider Muscle Shoals when the committee took it up. It had al- ready cost the government $107 ,333,- GOO with the prospect of spending a much larger sum. Since the armistice it has cost the government $S,000,000 for maintenance and there was a time when they were crying for some one to take it off their hands. As it stands now it would cost $109 100000 more to put it in operation.
 Now here is the question: Shall the government operate it with political bosses controlling the power or shall it be leased to some private enterprise?
 Henry Ford wants to purchase plant which cost the government S84,- 100000. General Beach estimates it's present value at $16,000O0O. Ford offers to pay the government $5,000,- OOO and maintain the plant for war, to be taken over by the government at any time, without cost. The war de- partment estimates the Tennessee river navigation at $S,000,O00, so that for $3, ,OOO, 900 the government will get war nitrate protection for 100 years.
 Millions of dollars are spent upon ships which are annually sunk. There IS no attention given to this by news papers. We spend millions more for keeping airplanes in condition. Why didn't we raise our voice in protest to this, or the sale of the Hickory plant in Kentucky which cost the govern ment $79,0O0,0O0 and which they let go for $3,500,OOO.
 They build ships for $1 ,OOO, ,OOO and sell them for $5,00O. Why don't the Community club 'resolute' about these things If it wants to clean up the gov ernment.
 ''In addition to Fords payment of $5,OOO,OO to the government, he offers to pay $3,450,OO0 a year for the use of the plant which is $535 900 a year more than his nearest competitor of fers.'
 Disagreeable medicine will not taste so badly if you hold a piece of ice in Al,n