Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-12-04
How Prices are Going Up.

The greatest rise in prices has been
in articles of hardware, and, so far as
these enter into the construction OF a
house, the builder finds that his esti-
mates must be very materially increas-
ed. Nails are 70 per cent. higher to-
day than they were at the beginning of
the present year. Window-weights
have advanced fully 75 per cent. locks
and knobs have risen nearly 45 per
cent. upon the average tacks and kim
dred goods, % per cent; common door
butts and hinges fully 100 per cent;
and such other odds and ends of hard
ware as are used in building, an aver
age of no less than 40 per cent.
Common Window glass, either French,
German, or American, cannot be bought
to-day within 20 per cent as cheap as
it could on the 1st of January. A box
of glass suitable for sashes 15x30 Inches
in dimensions costs $500 to-day,
against $2.98 at the beginning Of the
year; box for 10x15 sashes costs S2.7O
to-day, against 49, 10 on the lst OF Jan
uary; and q box of glass for 138X26
sashes costs $500 now, against $3.50
when the year opened. Sashes, doors
and blinds have recently undergone a
very material advance. Blinds have
been unproftably low, and the present
prices constitute q rise of from 80 to
is per cent. A blind upon which the
combination price was lately 80 cents
now costs 65; those which formerly
sold for 20 now sell for 80, and those
which formerly sold for 78 cents now
sell at $l.10. Sashes with glass ready
set are over 80 per cent. dearer to-day
than at the beginning of the year.
Doors are constantly advancing, and
it is difficult to keep the run of the new
prices which are made by the manufac-
turers.
In brick there has been, since the lst
of January, an advance on some grades
of common of over thirty per cent;
but in lime, sand and cement there has
been very little variation, and the same
may be said of paints and oils. In all
these articles, however, there is har-
dening tendency, and it may be gen
orally said of them that, though there
has been very little nominal advance,
yet figures which could often be OBJ
tanned upon them six or eight months
ago are not possible to-day. In "dull
times it frequently happens that deal
ers are willing to give quite conces-
sions to customers for the purpose of
securing trade when there has appar-
entity been no actual decline in prices;
and, upon the other hand, when busi-
ness begins to improve, the firmer feel
ing which prevails renders such con-
Cessions difficult to obtain, even though
prices are not quotably higher. The
estimates which builders were able to
furnish last winter and spring, there
fore, were lower than to-day, not only
because of the advance which has actu-
ally since occurred in some materials,
but because Of the concessions which
we're then possible in Others
Ordinary building lumber and shin
giles, olap-boards, ETC., are not quotably
higher to-day than at the beginning of
the year, but the Eastern mills are gen
orally running full, and are approach
ing position where they can take their
pick Of orders. In the West a material
odvance has occurred on finishing
stock, and the retail dealers are talking
of a corresponding advance here
Hardwood lumber for finishing pur-
poses is also firmer, and ash and cherry
will cost some five per cent. more than
on the 1st of January. Black walnut
sells to-day at about the same price as
at the beginning of the year, but it has
recently advanced to that figure after a
decline of from three to five per cent.
The cost of plumbing house to-day
is from twenty to twenty-five per cent.
greater than on the lst of January
Manufacturer and Builder for NoOe01-
Der.