Evening star., 1948-12-17
Census Figures Show
Imports Of Aluminium.
Scrap at Postwar Peak
By the Associated Press

Census Bureau figures last night
backed up statements by Marshall
Plan officials that aluminium scrap
imports to the United States-par-
ticularly from Great Britain-have
reached a postwar peak. There is
o domestic shortage of the metal.
This developed as the Economic
Cooperation Administration stood
fast on newly announced policy to
curtail all nonferrous metal ship
ments to Europe pending full in
vestigation of alleged profit taking
deals on aluminium scrap.
Census figures, based on declara-
tions of importers made to United
States customs officers, showed
Total imports of aluminium during
1947 were 31,475O00 pounds. OF
this, 3,4e1 900 pounds came from
Britain.
Latest Figures on Imports.
In the first 10 months of l948-
latest period of which figures are
available-imports from world wide
scrap sources hit Ill ,372 900 pounds
Great Britain is listed as the source
of 34,616,000 pounds during the Pc
riod.
Acting ECA Administrator How
ard Bruce confronted by denials
from high British officials that any
scrap was exported during the pc
riod from their country, said:
The figures would tend to indi-
cate We are shipping too much metal
over there, If substantial percent
age was coming back to this
country"
Earlier this week, Mr.. Bruce said
that mounting stream" of alumni
mum and lead is finding its way
from Europe to American markets
after Marshall Plan dollars had
been spent to send the same metals
overseas.
ECA released figures to show that
nearly one-fifth of the aluminium
tonnage purchased for recovery pur-
poses abroad had wound up in the
United States.
SuahhS0tlOn ANCCCoc&ESs
In releasing 1919 import figures,
Census Bureau officials, meantime.
cautioned that some qualification is
necessary on the information deal
ing with place of origin of scrap
brought here.
Importers, they explained, often
list as a shipments place of origin
not the place where the shipment
actually originated. Rather, this
information can be based on the last
country from which the vessel
sailed.
MI. Bruce told reporters that ECA
Is looking into this angle of the
controversy. He said he also has
asked the Census Bureau to run a
check" on their figures.
Mr.. Bruce said he is not indicting
any specific country on its use or
sale of scrap. No violation of law
Is involved, he emphasized.
We do not consider this breach
OF faith on the part of any one
country" he said. From the fig
ures. We have been sending too
much metal to all of Europe-if
they have sufficient quantities to
expor. scrap to us"
Quick Reaction to Charges.
In announcing ECA's curtailment
OF shipments on Tuesday, however,
a statement from Mr.. Bruce listed
Great Britain. Belgium and Hol-
land as the countries selling scrap
here at high prices"
ECAs action touched of quick
reaction here and abroad. The
British have fatty denied any ship
mentS of scrap. Holland asked that
ECA repudiate its statement. Bel
gium said it has exported 1877 tons
of aluminium during 1948-none of
1t connected with Marshall Plan
funds.
The situation became further con-
fused when an ECA spokesman in
London expressed belief that no
scrap aluminium had been exported
from Britain. And later DR.. Alan
Valentine, chief of ECA at The
Hague. said the Netherlands was
not re-exporting Marshall Plan
goods from Holland to the United
States.
R. 8. Reynolds, board chairman
Of Reynolds Metals Co., one of the
Nations largest producers and proc
essors of the metal, assailed the
Marshall Plan shipments to Europe
in the face of mounting scarcity
of aluminium here He said:
There is billion-pound shortage
of aluminium in the United States.
I mean the demand is that far in
excess of our productive capacity"
The industrialist charged that the
United States imports of scrap in.
dicates the folly of permitting a
condition to continue in which the