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Too Big to Be Good? Today, Laborites in Britain think I.C.I, has grown too big for its own good and should, of course, be nationalized. Part of the reason is that I.C.I, has always tended towards monopoly and never made any bones about it. Its longtime boss, Lord McGowan (TIME, Jan. 17, 1944), was an outspoken champion of monopoly, and he eagerly made a deal with Du Pont to stay out of the U.S., if Du Pont would stay out of Britain. (After Du Pont and I.C.I. came under antitrust fire in 1944, most of their deals were dropped, others canceled after they were finally convicted in 1951.) By its own admission, I.C.I, now controls almost 100% of British alkali production, has a monopoly in nylon polymer and Nitro-Chalk, produces 60% of all British dyestuffs, and 90% of its chlorine. The critics argue that I.C.I, is too big to be good, can produce or not produce at will, fix prices arbitrarily, that high profits and managerial hardening of the arteries will eventually slow down research and the development of vital new products.
I.C.I, and its current boss, Dr. Alexander Fleck, a dour Scottish chemist who took over the chairmanship last July, think that the argument is poppycock, have recently issued a booklet defending the company's position. Says Fleck: "Private enterprise has . . . enabled our organization to grow in a way which is vigorous, resilient, progressive and effective." He points to the fact that I.C.I, spends $10 million a year on research alone, has upped postwar plastic production 210%, and already has spent almost $400 million for new capital construction in the United Kingdom since 1945. With their new program, Fleck and I.C.I, hope to show that monopoly can keep on growing and still stay healthy enough to do the job Britain expects of its chemical industry.