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Show REPORTS FIR " FORD OFFER OH f MUSCLE SHOALS : - Committee Majority Would Exclude Steam Plant; Minority Mi-nority Holds Decision It Tantamount to Rejection ' DEMOCRATS BACK , FULL ACCEPTANCE m Two Republicans Submit a Third Report Fa-oring Claim of Alabama Co. and Many Modification WASHINGTON, Jun t Thra m(. irmt report setting forth recommendations recommen-dations for actio by congress with respect to private development of th government's tloMug.Oo power .ikI nitrat project, at Huecle Hhoala, Ala, wer Bud to kh houM today by mrnibtn of the military commute. commu-te. Acting Chairman McKenal in? 11IU nols, wha drafted the majority report, declaree at the outaet of that document that the Ford propoaal waa the only on found "worthy of serious eoneid- ration," and asks It aooeptane by the hmiae: orovlded hA.r that ik I Uorgu steam plant be not Included among th project' to be sold. Concurrent! In th majority report, except for th reference Jo th Uor-gas Uor-gas plant, la voiced In one of the minority mi-nority pplnlens, presented by Representative Repre-sentative Wright (Dem.) of Georgia snd supported by Representatives James (Rep.) of Michigan and the re. malnlng Democratlo members. They oak full compliance by the hous with oil provisions of the Kord proposal, and point out th belief that. If eon-gross eon-gross eliminates th Oorgaa unit. It would defeat th Ford offer. In a third report, submitted by Representative Rep-resentative Parksr (Rap.) of New Jersey Jer-sey and signed by Repreaeatatlvt Prothlngham (Hep.) of Massachusetts, the opinion Is adverse toi th accept- an re of Mr. Ford's offer, unless it I modified In other section than tha dealing with Oorgao. In th event Mr. Kord declined to aa-r to th modification modifi-cation proposed, th signer would hav th secretary of war lease th , dams and nitrat plants "on uca terms aa will secure th completion of the dams." and would authons him t oettl fair valu of th tiorgaa plant and convey th earn to th Alabama Power company." COST ft EACH es 10,dt0.000. Th majority report says that ui to dot th government ha xpend-4 xpend-4 n th shoals undertaking "some- . thing over llOi.OOe.ouo, approximately $5,000,00 of which was expended upon th Gorges steam plant and transmission transmis-sion lln." Th task of making final decision Is admitted In each of th report to be th duty of th full membership of th hous. In conclusion, th majority report ays; "Two courses are open, one gear- . mment ownership and operation, . whloh. In view of th character of th project, would. In th Judgment of th ' majority of th committee, mean dia-seler dia-seler to th hopes of th farmers and other uers of commercial fertilisers. To hav th government underlet and engage In th manufacture of fertiliser fer-tiliser Ingredients, with political superintendent. su-perintendent. fiemen and straw, bosses, la unthinkable, and -to undertake under-take such a scheu would be ua speakabi folly. "Th alternative course Is to sell ' tb tangtbl propergr on condition, prescribed by congress, leas th power at a fair rental, and permit Individual In-dividual American Initiative and Ingenuity In-genuity to have an opportunity at thla place, where th greatest water power In our country can be developed, requiting re-quiting a preservation of the element nf national defense and at th sam tlm giving an opportunity for relief. If such ther can be, to not only tn Southland, but to our entire country. In th Way of commercial fertiliser at reasonable prices." Representative Wright points out. In his minority report, that the question of disposing of th vast propertlea at Muscle rlhoala, "Is fraught with far reaching and momentous results, and la one of th area teal which ha ever enraged th attention of congress." GREAT ADVANTAGE SEEN. "Ths oeceptsnc of th Pord offr," he says, "would be a disposition of this property resulting in great ad-vantagee ad-vantagee to th government and ta j our people. The carrying out of th Kord offer would mean the production of almost on million hydroelectrlo 'j horse power: th manufacture an- ; nually for 100 years of nitrogen and ' , other commercial fertilisers; th ) maintenance of nitrat plant No. I for 100 years Hi Its present state of readl- ' ness, or Its equivalent, to be turned ' over to-the government for Immediate j operation In tlm of war for th pro- , ductlon of explosives In making navigable navi-gable th Tennessee river for a dla- ; lance of approximately ninety mile. 1 through a section abounding In th richest and most varied material resources, re-sources, such aa many billions of tons of coal and Iron, almost Inexhaustible Inexhausti-ble quantities of timber, phosphate rock, aluminum, sine and other materials, mate-rials, and thus bring these neceseary materials by water transportation within aay access to .tb industrial -centers of th world." Too much atrees, Mr. Wright say, cannot be placed on th fertiliser provisions pro-visions of Mr. Kord's offer and. he de-claroa. de-claroa. Its acceptance carries "a certainty cer-tainty of great development and la at- tended wltk the promise of almoa. unlimited un-limited possibilities for the accomplishment accomplish-ment of many things for or country, on, of which I to furnish employment IContlnued on page 4.) J ! tentlon to the contracts made by the w.ir department with tha Ala.mma ! Tower company, which purported to ! give that concern an option to purine pur-ine Oornas power plant and inakes reference to the opinions of Attorney ieneial PatiKhrty jinU the acting Judge ad oca t a general of the army pronouncing the contract Invulld and unenforrulde. CONTRACT HELD INVALID. "We are unalterably In favor of the government Manding by Its contracts," the report any a, "hut It would seem the. one In qeustlon here has neither the 'elements of luw or morality and. 1thrrfore. no standing! "The history of tha conduct of the romp"")' and the peculair language1 employed In u communication from the president of the company to the ! chairman of the. military committee,' advising that the offer of 12.500.000 for the Oorgus plant had been aub- 1 nutted, lends us to wonder If tha company com-pany is now really sincere in its offer i ;tnd If It would actually pay the government gov-ernment $2.MM).U00 for the Interest of the government In the (.J org as steam plant. I "Mr. Ford contends," the report says, "that It Is ncceasary to the econom- t ical operation of the shoals to iiavt the llorgas plant. "If t hie revised offer for Oorgas Is rejected. It declares Then he must un- i ikrsiand the acceplanco uf bis offvr for M uncle Shoal us a whole, and not In part, is rejeetf d." ' "Aa we see it," the report concludes, 1 "a vote for the McKenr.e hill without I on amendment to Include Oorgas I means the rejection of the For. I offer." i lpresrntntlvea Parker ami Froth- Ingham find fnult with tne Ford of'er 1 , In their report, declaring that the .,. i ono.ooo he offt-rs for the nitrate plants. I tho Wac. q utrry. the Oorgas steam . plant railroad and transmission line is! "grossly Irnd'-quate." I Mr. Fird pays no Interest on the j Ila.ooo.rt00 already ppent by the gov-I ; eminent on the Wilson ilnni, tin report tsays, and does not propose to pay In- teres! on what tha I niled K.te Is ta si't rul upon the comph-iion of that project until six years after the dam ia in operatieki. In that time the gov-rrninent gov-rrninent will pav out J T o0 and will receive back from Mr. -Ford only 11.200.000, says the repjrt. "The whole proposition." the document docu-ment continues. a departure from the policy of our wntr uHr tegislii- th'Tl " Tlit fertiliser agreem-iu made by Mr. Fcrd. th-' report conc;cles, 'Is a gi nd and proper thing. Hut whether or not the compuny can make fertiliser fertil-iser at half price, or make it at all at a profit Mr. Ford's representative etntes distinctly that the o. tnp.iny will not make it unless It can do .o at a profit the turnover profit .s fixed at per cent, and this fertiliser (jiiesMon Is the bargain counter lu this proposal." RETORTSFAVOR ' (Continued from pug 1 ! to many thousands of people now ' idle." The Ucorgla representative culls At- |