Evening star., 1925-03-31
SHOALSPOWERW Will
Be READY IN JULY.
RevocabIe Contracts Make
Sales Problem Most Puz-
zling Question.
BY j. c. ROYLE.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala, March 81.
Decision of Secretary of War
Weeks to ask bids for the temporary
use of power developed by the great
Wilson dam and power plant here
will do little toward determining
finally to whom that power will be
sold. The plant Will commence to
produce current in July, but since
days notice, the use of the current
commercially seems restricted to
companies which have transmission
lines already connecting directly with
Muscle Shoals.
Rev0cabIe Contracts Cause Stir.
This will narrow the list to the
Alabama Power Co. and few other
minor consumers. officials of the
Alabama company today declined to
forecast what their action would be
when bids formally are asked. If
other companies should bid success
fully they would be under necessity
of heavy expense for erection of
transmission lines.
The nine Southern companies, Of
which Alabama Power was chief, who
Joined in bidding for the current out
put previously, now are in a position
to furnish adequate current to their
patrons without the Muscle Shoals
output. 1t is doubtful If they would
desire to go deep into new construc-
tion If their contracts might be re-
voked on short notice.
Three Possible Moves,
Three possible answers as to ulti-
mate disposition are outlined by men
who have watched the progress from
its inception.
The first Of these is that the cur
rent shall be leased over a long term
by the Government to some power
company operating in this section or
combination of such corporations.
The second Is that 1t should be turned
over to some big producing or manu-
featuring concern which would utilize
the power at or near the source. The
third is that the project be operated
by the Federal Government
Many Objections Made.
The moment that any of the three
is mentioned objections are raised.
The first procedure would make
Muscle Shoals link in the great
superpower zone of the South. There
are nine companies already inter
connected and there can be no doubt
that the assured and cheap power so
furnished has drawn many manufac-
turing plants to Tennessee, Alabama,
Georgia and the Carolinas.
Charges OF monopoly have been in
conjunction with the operation of
this interchange of power. These are
vigorously denied by the companies
| In question, who say that the ar
! rangement simply means paying for
power from another source than their
| own when streams are low In ono sec
tion. and furnishing excess power at
an equivalent rate to other sections
when they need II.
For example, the Alabama Power
Company now is operating a steam
plant at Muscle Shoals with a 10000
horsepower capacity, which was put
In to supply deficiencies in North and
South Carolina, the current being
transmitted 500 miles. Through this
line the power from the Wilson dam
| could be turned into the superpower
system now.
Nitrate Plants Complicating.
But any proposal for a lease to
the difficulty of operating the nitrate
| plants, which are a part of the Mus
| Gle Shoals project.
Some large producers of manufac-
tured articles might well utilize the
power at the source. This section is
in possession of natural advantages
W '"h include nearly every necessary
| raw A. terial. But now that Henry
Ford has ~ithdrawn his offer, the
| field of prosp~ i've operators is an
| extremely narrow me. All pros
poets raise objections one sort or
| another.
Millions Already Spent
Government operation would ne
| cessitate the building of transmission
| lines and substitutionS 1t is an ac-
| cepted principle among hydro cleo
| trio engineers that the building OF
| such lines involves the expenditure
of double the sum spent on the de-
! velopment of the power which is tc
pass over them.
The wartime investment OF the
Government here was s107,000,0 900
| This would bring the estimate for
| transmission lines to over 100000,
900. The full Is units at the Wilson
dam have q possibility of producing
about 100000 horsepower. But the
| fluctuations in the flow OF the Ten
nessee River make some engineers
| say that at certain seasons only 100,-
900 horsepower can be produced.
1t becomes evident therefore that
to be fully utilized the power de-
veloped at the Wilson dam must be
| sold at the source or through dis
| tribution. The present transmission
lines need Muscle Shoals power. The
Muscle Shoals plant needs the trans
mission lines. But a plan to get
them together still is n the future
to be suggested by the Coolidge COM