[Nicaro Nickel Company] (1944, silent)

Description: Industrial film of nickel mining operations in Nicaro, Cuba. Title at head reads: "War vital nickel for allied war weapons is today being wrested from a Cuban jungle. There, Nicaro Nickel Company turned a tropical wilderness into a great mining and metallurgical plant. Nicaro, subsidiary of Freeport Sulphur Company and acting for Defense Plant Corporation and Metals Reserve Company, built and operates the plant."

"World War II taxed Inco's capacity and strained its relationship with the U.S. armed forces. Still mindful of its near collapse after World War I, Inco refused to stockpile the inventory desired by the armed forces, instead committing only to the timely delivery of critical metal. As an insurance policy, the U.S. government financed the creation of Nicaro Nickel Company in 1942, a Cuban venture under the direction of the Freeport Sulphur Company. Although Nicaro managed to produce some nickel, it never really got off the ground and was mothballed soon after the war. Its decline may have been hastened by Inco's price cuts on nickel oxides, Nicaro's specialty. The full extent of Inco's nickel monopoly was further suggested by the fact that, aside from the case of nickel oxide, its nickel price never varied between 1928 and 1946 — an indication of complete freedom from the normal pressures of competition. (www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Inco-Limited-Company-History.html. accessed: 3-15-2023)

Reuse Statement: For information on reusing Prelinger Archives footage and obtaining written usage agreements, please visit www.prelinger.com.

Subjects: 1940s,Industry,World War II,Extractive industries,Labor,Latina/o/x/e and/or Hispanic people

Tags: laboratory; deforestation; labor; mining; trains; aircraft; shipping; construction; nickel refining plant; landscapes; worker housing; children in classroom; maps; oxen; ox and cart; plant construction; smokestacks; industrial buildings; mining plants; ore; tractors; train cars full of dirt; trains; cranes; machines; palm trees; furnaces; kilns; children; guards; Cuban people; workers;

Film Sponsor: Nicaro Nickel Company

Creator: Nicaro Nickel Company

Credits: Nicaro, subsidiary of Freeport Sulphur Company, Defense Plant Corporation, and Metals Reserve Company

Distributor:

Contributor: Prelinger Archives

Source Collection: Prelinger Archives

Digitizing Sponsor: Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web (FFDW) and Internet Archive

Production Date:

Release Date: 1944

Geographical Location: Cuba

Genre/Form: sponsored, industrial

Language: eng

Rights:

Film Format: 16mm film

Element: release print, reversal

Color: color

Color Process: Kodachrome

Sound or Silent: silent

Film Soundtrack Type: mos

Edge Code:

Frame Rate: 24 fps

Length (feet): 1060