Alpha Portland Cement Co. Board of Directors meeting minutes, November 21, 1917

Annotation Minutes of board meeting of the Alpha Portland Cement Co. held November 21, 1917 which include the following actions: the Board discussed the difficulties in operating all of the company's plants given to conditions caused by the war and stated that some plants would be shut due to lack of demand for cement; the President reported that the employees had subscribed to $103,000 in Liberty Bonds; the President reported that the negotiation over power rates with the Lehigh Navigation Electric Co. had been finalized and the company's rates would increase 15%; the President read a letter from the Treasury Department requesting documents and an interview in connection with the Excess Profits Tax Law. The Alpha Portland Cement Co. was organized in 1895 when it acquired the Whitaker Cement Co. Originally based in Philadelphia, the company later moved its headquarters to Easton, Pa. Based in the area of the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania known as the ""Cement Belt,"" Alpha Portland Cement Co. grew to become one of the largest cement companies in the United States.