Business: Proxy Raid by an Old Brigade

Curtiss-Wright aims to carve up Kennecott

Though corporate takeovers have flourished mightily in the past couple of years, nearly all have been buy-outs for stock or cash. The old-fashioned proxy fight seemed little more than a memory, but now a battle has broken out for control of Kennecott Copper Corp., the biggest U.S. copper producer. Curtiss-Wright, which owns about 10% of Kennecott stock, is appealing to Kennecott's stockholders to vote at the annual meeting on May 2 to dump the incumbent management and elect a new board.

Curtiss-Wright is openly declaring its intention to...