ALUMINUM: The Boy Grew Older

Suckled by mighty Grand Coulee and Bonneville dams is one of the lustiest of West Coast war babies—its brand-new aluminum industry. Thriving on cheap power, five huge reduction plants have burgeoned in less than four years, now turn out 30% of U.S. pig aluminum. But many a West Coast industrialist is worried over the baby's future. Reason: its mother, mammoth Alcoa, may strangle it.

Of the five plants, Alcoa owns one, operates two others for Defense Plant Corp. And it supplies alumina (the oxide from which aluminum is made) from its Mobile plant...

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