Evening star., 1942-02-16
II Power Projects
Proposed by Iekes
10 Aid War Effort
Program Also includes
Increase in Aluminium
From Domestic Ores
- the Associated Press.

~ the Associated PresS.
A vast program Of power and
minerals development to utilize low
grade ores and free this country 50
far As possible from dependence on
foreign sources for vital minerals
was urged yesterday by Secretary
of Interior 1ckes.
The program. prepared at the re-
quest of Senate Public Lands Sub
committee, calls for construction of
IT power projects, costing $3.50 ,603,-
900, in the West. and greatly in
creased production Of aluminium
from domestic ores.
The aluminium industry now is de-
pendent heavily on imports of
bauxite, an aluminium ore, from
Bolivia and Dutch Guiana. Mr..
Ickes noted that stepped-up pro-
duction Of vital metals from do
mestic sources would save many tons
Of shipping and also release for
other duties naval vessels engaged
in convoy work.
Goal Increased.
His program disclosed that the
Government has increased the an
nual aluminium production goal from
800, 900 900 pounds to over 2,000,-
1000" in line with President
Roosevelts war schedule of 10000
planes this year and 125,000 In 1943.
Aluminium production in l941
amounted to about 300, 900 900
pounds.
Chairman O'Mahoney OF the
Western Resources Public Lands
Subcommittee said the 1ckes pro-
gram would be submitted to the full
committee tomorrow. The sugges-
tions, Senator OMahoney said, al
ready are being studied by Donald
M. Nelson, head Of the War Produc-
ton Board, and James Knowlson, in
charge of the industrial branch OF
w. P. B.
The Bureau of Mines, the report
said, has developed a process where
by many small industries in various
parts of the country can produce
alum from common domestic shales,
natural alums, leucites, glaucanite
sands, fieldspars and aluminium
bearing tailings from porphyry cop
per deposits. The small plants
would sell the alum to centrally To-
Gated plants which then would con-
vert the alum into alumina.
The Secretary recommended that
the combination process be adopted
by the War Production Board.
Million Pound Capacity.
Discussing the electric power
needs for processing and fabricating
minerals for the war program, the
report said the proposed IT power
projects would be enough to pro-
duce more than 1,000, 900 900 pounds
OF aluminium or magnesium an
nually.'
These plants, steam or hydroelec-
trio, would be located in the West
and Southwest.
Mr.. Ickes said that as part of the
general program all enemy alien
patents and processes for convert
ing the minerals should be examined
and tested and all American-owned
patents and processes for minerals
needed for winning the war" should
be made available for the conf
Dental use of the Bureau OF Mines"
The Secretary also proposed that
Congress provide funds for explora-
tory work by the Mines Bureau and
the Geological Survey for such
other strategic metals as copper,
iron, chromite, zinc and lead.
To break what he termed the
"bottleneck" of procuring capital
for development of low-grade ore
bodies and for mills or smelters to
develop such low-grade materials,
Mr.. Ickes recommended that. when
requested by the War Production
Board, the Interior Department
should be given the power to GER
tify to the Reconstruction Finance
Corp. for loans to companies or in
dividuals seeking to develop low
grade ores or contracting mills or
smelters for the production Of these
essential war minerals" and that
this certification be construed as an
obligation on the Reconstruction
Finance Corp"