ALUMINUM: Maybe 10^, Maybe Less

Richard Samuel Reynolds, smart boss of Reynolds Metals Co., who will soon be Aluminum Co. of America's one competitor, last week told a Senate committee that he will produce aluminum for 12¢—maybe 10¢—when his Alabama and West Coast plants get in production. At 10¢ a pound, the No. 1 light metal of World War II would cost only half what it did last year, before Alcoa's three consecutive cuts brought it to 17¢.

Since war began, U.S. aluminum capacity has risen from 160,000 to 425,000 tons annually. Even this is not enough. Last week, RFC's Metals Reserve Co. got aid from...

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