Evening star., 1936-11-29

the power with least Federal control
over its producers. To Germany, ia.
pan, Russia, France and Italy, nitro
gen means ammunition In war and
fertilizer export that brings in for
eign money In peacetime.
In this country, the nitrogen in
dustry is child of such big chemical
producers as the Du Points. 1t is also
a profitable stepchild Of the steel in
dustry. American nitrogen comes
principally from the coke-steel CEN
tiers and two great plants, that of the
Allied Chemical g. Dye Corp. at Hope
well, Va, and that Of the Du Points
at Belle, w. Va. Both are situated
where coal is cheap, a necessity to
synthetic" nitrogen.
This synthetic industry is compare
lively young, dating back to 1921 and
now contributing about two-thirds of
the Nations output. The other third
comes from by-product ovens Of the
coke-steel industry. This so-called
''by-product" nitrogen is the deter
mining factor in the price Of nitrogen
fertilizer and explosives. When steel
production is booming, as it Is cur
rently, there is much by-product nitro
gen and the price is driven down.
The United States Is no exception
in the race toward self-sufficiency.
even though the munitions industry is
still strictly a private affair. During
1918, Uncle Sam imported 100000
tons of Chile saltpeter, or about 1000
times as much nitrogen as was produced
that year by American by-product
processes. Today. this country could
obtain all the explosives it needed by
either taking over the private indus
tries or paying their prices.
Peacetime Operations.
These industries, meanwhile, do we'll
enough even in peacetime. For in
stance, the plant run by Allied Chem
ical is an adjunct to the production
of soda. Synthetic ammonia is, in
reality, well-paying by-product with
them. And the Du Pont plant makes
a wide variety of products for its wide
flung market from its ammonia at
Belle. More than that, by a mere
turn of switches. the ammonia plant
can be turned into producer of alco-
hol, and presto! The Du Points are
in the business Of selling non-freeze
solutions for automobile radiators.
These plants were not in existence
during the World War and the Amer
ican Government tried It's own hand
at nitrogen synthesis. The end of
the war found Uncle Sam ready to
fend for himself. He had Just finished
building the so-called No. plant at
Sheffield. Ala, and the No. 2 plant
at Muscle Shoals.
The former was a small affair
that proved a failure. even In trial
runs. But the second. turning out
chemical nitrogen by the cyanamid
process, is considered entirely prac-
teal, If somewhat outmoded. Its an
nual capacity is estimated at 10000
| tons.
This was the plant at Wilson Dam,
ever which many wars we're fought
/ in Congress during the l920s, with
Henry Ford and others demanding
/ that it be turned over to private en-
terprise for the production of fer
/ tilizer. But the Government held on,
insisting on retaining an interest in
nitrogen.
Plant at Muscle Shoals.
Three years ago, the War Depart
ment lent its Muscle Shoals plant to
the Tennessee Valley Authority. This
unit is now busily using part Of the
| plant for experimental production Of
another fertilizer, superphosphate.
But it's only loan. It's understood
that the plant must be kept in stand
by condition and returned to the War
Department in time of war.
However, this one factory could not
serve the Arny's needs in time of war
A report by DR.. Harry A. Curtis, now
running the plant for T. v. A., esti-
mated that, with America at war,
there would be a gradual mobilization
Of men until the Army would total
3,5OO,OOO soldiers at the end Of two
years warfare.
At this stage, Curtis estimated the
Nations armed forces would require
10000 tons of chemical nitrogen a
month. This would constitute 144,000
tons annually. Here is the proof of
Americas self-sufficiency in notrogen
today. The excess of capacity over
production is well over 250,000 tons
annually.
Consequently, whether the United
States bought this nitrogen from its
commercial producers or took over
production, there would be no scarcity
of nitrogen and no necessity Of patrol
ling the seas to Chile.
tCcpyright. 1886, by the North American
Newspaper Alliance Inc)