The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-08-15
|DRIT tain TURNS
ANDPANS
INTO AIRCRAFT
Aluminium vitality Needed,
So Housewives Yield
Cooking Utensils

London, Aug. 5-(UP)-U Urged on
by the assurance that 5000 alumni
UNI pots and pans will make one
fighter aircraft and that $4,000 will
make one bomber, the housewives Of
Britain have fairly swamped the
Aircraft Production Ministry with
their gifts of light metal Kitchen
ware.
1t is said that within "A hours of
Lord Beaverbrook'S dramatic appeal
on July 10, every one of the official
dumps throughout the country pro-
vided for these utensils was filled to
overlooking.
Actually there is no shortage of
aluminium scrap in the country. In
fact, there are several thousand
tons of it virtually unstable to au-
thorities. Lord Beaverbrook called
for aluminium utensils because they
are made from 1914 per cent pure
rolled aluminium" which in the
short space of two weeks can be
made into ''billets" from which
strips can be extruded for airplane
construction. Stocks in merchants
yards, on the other hand, consist
| largely of aluminium alloys which
can mainly be used only for cast
ings. These are not wanted in the
present emergency.
Stress Put ON Scrap Metal
Some trade authorities think that
there is in this country, especially
| in War Office and Air Ministry
circles, an over-insistence upon viz.
gin metal and an unwarrantec
prejudice against mixing SCRAP
metal. This prejudice does not ex.
ist to the same extent in the Unit.
ed States, where, scrap aluminium
moves rapidly and steadily intc
consumption.
Although the British authorize!
are concentrating on aluminium fol
aircraft, there is also a demand fol
that light metal for incendiary
bombs.
Frances output Of bauxite-about
100000 metric tons year, Of which
Britain took about go per cent
came from four districts On the
Mediterranean Coast (Var. Herault
Bouches du Rhone and Ariege)
These areas are outside the Ger
man controlled area, but nobody be-
lieves that the British Aluminium
Company, which owns and operates
a large deposit there, will be Ia
lowed to draw any ore from its
property.
Minea In British Guiana
Britain's nearest source fol
bauxite is British Guiana, where a
Canadian company mines and ships
more than 100000 tons of ore, most
ly to Canada. Other producers ship
largely to the United States. In
a pinch, Canadian reduction works
probably could draw heavily upon
the Dutch East Indies.
| The British Empire has enormou!
untapped reserves, notably In thu
Kashmir Province in India and ir
Nyasaland, where the Anglo-Amer
lean Corporation and the Chartered
Company of South Africa have
| Unity proved reserves of $4,000, 00(
tons. An engineer from the United
Estates is engaged in developing the
Nyssaland deposits.
With their conquest of France
the Axis powers now dominate, d.
rectly or Indirectly, more than sc
per cent of the worlds present pro-
duction of .bauxite, while the Brit
ish and Dutch empires have about
Is per cent. Russia has reserves Of
about 100000 tons, but output is
small and is consumed at home. The
United States ranks high as pro.
ducer, but still higher as con.
sumner, and with aluminium listed a:
a strategic metal" exports to the
United Kingdom presumably will b.
solely in the finished form of air.