Evening star., 1941-01-13
0'MahoneyCh
Aluminium Shortage
sPrice Boost Move
Large Production in
Germany Significant
Foct,' Senator Says
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Congress and national defense
leaders had before them today a
statement by Senator O'Mahoney,
Democrat, of Wyoming charging
that production of warplanes has
been seriously delayed" because of
shortage of aluminium, which he
attributed to policy of keeping
supplies down in order to keep prices
up"
The Senator said "a more signifl-
cant fact" was that Germany had
"far outstripped us" in aluminium
production. although prior to the
Hitler regime it had practically no
aluminium industry.
1T is small wonder" he added,
"that he Hitler can fill the skies
over Britain with airplanes while
our deliveries are tagging"
Senator O'Mahoney said the JUS
tice Departments antitrust action
against the Aluminium Co. of Amer
lea provided an Illustration OF the
relation of economic concentration
to national defense"
Sees Serious Delay.
whether or not this company has
engaged in monopolistic practices as
alleged by the department" Sena-
tor OMahoney said, "it is clear that
the manufacture of American air
planes needed to fill our own and
British orders has been seriously de-
layed because parts manufacturers
have been unable to get sufficient
amount of aluminium to fill their
orders"
commissioner in charge of industrial
materials, said recently that there
were ample supplies of aluminium.
His statement followed an an
nouncement by one aircraft plant
that it would curtail operations be-
cause of inability to obtain alumni
mum. Mr.. StettiniuS said curtail-
ment was unnecessary and that
the plant later had announced ship
ments of aluminium would allow it
to continue production without in
terruption.
Commenting on Senator OMa-
honey'S charges. a spokesman for
the Aluminium Co. of America at
its Pittsburgh Offices declared that
the price of aluminium in 1910 had
been reduced from 20 to II cents a
pound.
The spokesman recalled that the
recent annual report of l. w. Will
son, vice president in charge OF
operations, pointed out that the
company had undertaken a two
year sl50,000, 900 expansion program
because of defense needs and that
this expansion was the equivalent
of two decades OF peace time
growth. Mr. Wilson declared the
program would increase ingot pro-
duction from 327 100000 pounds in
1899 to more than TOO, 900 900 pounds
by July Of 1912.
Monopoly Committee to Meet.
Senator O'Mahoney's announce
ment yesterday was made in con-
nection with calling the Monopoly
Committee, which he heads, to meet
Wednesday to consider a final re-
port.
The Senator said the Defense
Commission had been compelled"
to set up priority schedules which
shut off aluminium supplies needed
by civilians. although the Nations
potential capacity was such that
no curtailment should have been
necessary. He had been told, he
said, that rural electrifcation prof.
ects had been forced to take in
ferior equipment because of made
quate aluminium supplies.
The Aluminium Co of America
has enjoyed practically complete
domination of the field in this coun-
try for almost so years, through
control of plant capacity and raw
material" Senator OrMahoney de-
clared 1T is one of the most profit
able enterprises in the country, if
not in the world Yet it has not
been supplying enough virgin alu-
minum to independent manufac-
turers to be made into airplane pro-
pellers and other parts, for lack of
which our plane output has been
apparently seriously retarded. -
Here is a highly concentrated
metal industry essential to the de-
velopment of the modern commu-
nifty and extremely profitable to its
owners, which has not been able as
yet to respond to the defense needs
of the country because apparently
it has been keeping supplies down
IN order to keep prices up, a policy
which it must be admitted is not
peculiar to this one industry alone"