BRITISH ALUMINIUM CO., LIMITED
RECORD OUTPUT
THE ordinary general meeting of the British Aluminium Co., Ltd., was held on March 30th, at Winchester House, London, E.C.
Mr. R. W. Cooper, M.C. (the chairman), who presided, said that the profit for 1937 had amounted to £773,432, which was an increase of £176,252 over the profit realised in 1936. They had commenced the year with a satisfactory order book and the demand for their products was well maintained throughout the year, resulting in their having marketed a considerably increased tonnage of aluminium—in fact, the largest in the history of the company.
Increases in labour rates and other improved conditions intro- duced during the last one and a half years represented an addition of 20 per cent. to their wages bill in this country, apart from the additional cost of the larger number of men who were required to operate their various extensions of plant.
The total output of aluminium during 1937 had constituted a record. The extensions to which he had referred a year ago had made good progress during the year ; so much so that he was pleased to be able to report that the first half of the additional aluminium producing plant at Lochaber had been put into com- mission earlier this month, and the balance they hoped to have in production before the middle of the present year.
It did not appear to be generally recognised that at Lochaber they possessed by far the largest hydro-electric development in Great Britain. The measure of the size of a development of tha nature was, of course, its annual output capacity in units of electricity and not its peak load for short periods. The Lochaber power station operated on a continuous load and its output already greath. exceeded, and, when completed, would be several times greaten than, the next largest hydro-electric 'development in the country Another feature peculiar to Lochaber was that that large amour: of power was generated in a single power house.
The enlargement of the alumina works right up to the boundar• of their property at Burntisland was nearing completion, and as th extra amount of alumina thus provided would be insufficient their requirements, they had had to find another site for a nem and a third, alumina factory. Certain essential factors had limite their choice of a site, and after careful investigation of a numbe of possibilities they had finally decided that the most suitabl location was at Newport, Monmouthshire. That factory, the hoped, would reach the producing stage later on this year, and the had ample room for any extensions which might be required 1 the future.
The outlook for the current year as regarded the business of the company was encouraging, and they had confidence that they would be able, unless anything quite unforeseen occurred, to put before them next year as satisfactory a showing as for the past yeas The report was adopted and a resolution was passed converrin_ the Preference and Ordinary shares into stock.
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