Evening star., 1941-06-27
Senate Committee
Assai|s 0. P. N. for
Aluminium Shortage
Investigators Turn to
RociuI Discrimination
In Defense Program

A''
After criticizing the o. P. M. and
the Aluminium Co. of America for a
shortage of aluminium which might
cause curtailment of electric power
In homes, the special Senate COM
mittee investigating defense turned
It's attention today to the question
of racial discrimination in the de-
tense program. Hearings on this
matter will open Monday.
In a bluntly-worded report, the
Senate group said production of l.
S00,000,000 pounds of aluminium an
nually was needed, with only slightly
more than half of that in sight i'm
mediately. Some electric power may
have to be diverted from home use
to the production of aluminium, 1t
was indicated.
Asserting that "swarms of air
planes" must be produced, the COM
mittee said both the Defense Ad-
visory Commission and the Office of
Production Management had made
serious miscalculation" of alu-
minum needs, stocks and production.
Report Assails o. P. NJ.
o. P. M. was said in the report
to have relied on Alcoa and dis
Couraged any one else from going
into the business of producing alu-
minum" at the time the Reynolds
Metal Co., new and only competitor
of Alcoa, was constructing facilities
at Lister, Ala, and Longview, Wash,
for aluminium production.
TT is reasonable to conclude that
Alcoa had convinced o. P. M. OF
the adequacy of the supply in order
to avoid the possibility that any one
else would 60 into a field which
they had for so many years success
fully monopolized," the report added.
The committee also said o. P. M
"actually had discouraged research
snd experimentation in alternative
processes for production of alu-
gninum for low-grade bauXite or
SOdlNCo Quill GO oldliiSS.
Bauxite Supply Low.
Alcoa was said to have promised
TO build up its stock pile of bauXite,
but did not do So and the COM
mittee estimated that the present
available supply of bauxite in this
country would be exhausted in less
than two years.
It also criticized transportation
costs involved in carrying bauxite
from the Guianas, in South Amer
tca, to East st. Louis, Vancouver,
Wash; California and other points.
This situation is especially Sc
fious as we cannot have confidence
in our estimates of needs for alum
anum. and as we may want to in
crease our airplane program still
further" the special committee re-
ported. The report was prepared un-
der Chairman Truman of the
committee.
Unless we proceed at once to
create new facilities, we may be un-
able to get aluminium when we need
1t, or we may have to ration private
consumption Of electricity in the
home"
Brewster Blames President.
After the critical aluminium report
had been explained by Senator
Mead, Democrat, of New York, Sena-
tor Brewster, Republican, of Maine
told the Senate the biggest bottle
neck in our preparations effort is
on the Presidents desk"
The Maine legislator said it was
Fantastic" to expect the President
70 handle details of national de-
6ense production along with other
heavy responsibilities and urged co.
ordination of all defense production
under a single responsible head
similar to the War Department.
industrial Mobilization plan.
Aluminium presents tragic cast
history of failure to coordinate,
Mr.. Brewster said. To-day Germany
is producing around two billior
pounds of aluminium a year. while
We are unable to produce one billion
The country needs aluminium. The
country gets an alibi."
Scrap Often Unusuable.
The pots, pans, old golf clubs an6
other scrap aluminium, which de-
Tense leaders are collecting, probably
never will be part of a fighting air
plane.
considerable care must be exer'
cised to avoid being misled by the
INTENDED use of scrap aluminium.
the committee said. Unless higf
degree of care is used in sorting
scrap, the melted material may b.
of such an alloy mixture as to bt
unusable for ordinary purposes.
Experts to date consistently hav'
taken the position that aluminium
sheets produced from such scral
are unusable for airplanes. A
best the melted metal must be heav
lly enriched with virgin aluminium
30 as to offset the impurities from
the conglomeration usually found ii
scrap heaps"