Evening star., 1933-04-02
REACH AGREEMENT /,
!. ON MUSCLE SHOALS
White House Conference on
Tennessee Valley Program
"Satisfactory."
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
A Muscle Shoals controversy outdat-
ing the service Of most CongresSunen
was moved nearer solution yesterday by
a White House conference agreement
on President Roosevelt,s vast Tennessee
Valley program. -
II don't think there was any doubt
OF an agreement" Senator Norris
Republican, Nebraska) told reporters
after the more than hours session with,
the Chief Executive
The program agreed upon. though
still incomplete in detail, was based
on Norris bill to create a Government
board to operate the $140, 900 Fed
eral power and nitrate plant on the
Tennessee River. But included also
was reforestation plan to be pressed
under authority of the new forest
conservation act.
For further details of the giant
southern development, interested MEM
bers OF Congress await a special
presidential message, probably this
week.
Officials i'm Conference.
To discuss the program yesterday,
President Roosevelt called in Secretaries
Wallace and Ickes, Norris, Chairman
McSwain of the House Military Affairs
Committee which handles shoals leeis-
lation, and Representative Hill of Aa-
bama, that committees ranking
Democrat.
Norris, a veteran independent who
has fought for Government operation
OF its wartime investment for more
tnan dozen years, speaking for the
confereeS, said:
The conference was agreeable and
were talked over and some legal oues-
tions Some of the latter remain TO be
determined, but I don't think there
was any doubt of an agreement.
Thls is the start of national pro-
gram providing for reforestation. con-
trol OF Hood waters, utilization of
marginal lands and development Of
power"
The Norris plan for putting to work
the power and nitrate plants on the
Alabama site, includes also construction
OF a dam at Cove Creek In the Clinch
River, Tenn
Past estimates have put the cost of
this dam at S34,000,000, and this ex-
Gent Hoover's veto of the Norris bill
OF two years ago.
MOTIFS said yesterday he could vision
5000 men at work on the Cove Greek
dam in comparatively short time, but
reminded reporters it would take q
while to examine the ground and out
line plans.
The Nebraskan's bin, at last put
through Congress, would authorize the
Government Control Board to lease the
nitrate plants. Should no lessee be
found within a year, then the board
would start operation itself.
President Hoover, in his veto, as
sailed the leasing provisions as too
rigid to attract bidder, In that they
limited use Of the plants to manufac-
turing fertilizer and essential by
products.
Norris said there now was little hope
OF again working nitrate plant No. 1,
because it is obsolete" But he added.
nitrate plant No. 2 could be used for
nitrate production, both as q fertilizer
ingredient and measure Of national
defense.
Another section of the Norris bill
which President Hoover found objec-
tionable was authority for the govern
ing board to sell surplus power, giving
municipalities and other governmental
units first rights to buy. 7s D
In the vetoed bill, the surplus power
would have been sold at the SWITCH
board, but several other Norris pro-
posals- have recommended authority for
the board to build transmission lines.