Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-11-17
THE EVENING STAR.
ONDAY. November IL. 1873
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 fndS That
his estimates must be very materially IN
creased. Nails are 20 per cent. higher to-day
IMAM they We're at the beginning of the present
year. Wfndow-weightS have advanced fully IS
per cent; locks and knobs have risen nearly Is
per cent upon the average; tacks and kindred
goods, q per cent; common door butts and
hinges tully 100 per cent; and such other odds
and ends OF hardware as are used in building,
an average OF no less than 40 per cent.
common window-glass, either French, Ger
man or American, cannot be bought to-day
within 20 per cent. as cheap as it could on the
list of January. box OF glass suitable for
sasheS 15X30 inches in dimensions costs $50 to-
day, against SOS at the beginning of the year:
box for 10x15 sashes costs s. 20 to-day, against
g. 10 on the list January, and a box OF glass for
13HX26 SaSheS costs s. now. against $50 when
the year opened. Sashes, doors and blinds have
recently undergone a very material advadce
Blinds have been unprofitably low and the
present prices constitute a rise of from 35 to IS
per cent blind upon which the comblna-
ton price was lately so cents now costs IS; those
which formerly sold for 20 now sell for 90 and
those which formerly sold for IS cents now sell
at $1.l0. Sashes with glass ready set are over
80 per cent dearer to-day than at the begin ling
of this year.
Doors are constantly advancing and it is din
cult to keep the run of the new prices which
are made by the manufacturers.
In brick there has been. since the 1st of jan
uary, an advance on some grades OF common NJ
over 80 per cent; but In lime, sand and cement
ehSiC Hao pSCH NCiy Httic anu TIT
same may be said of paints and oils. In all theSe
articles, however, there Is a hardening ten
dency, and 1t may be generally 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 fire.
quently happens that dealers are willing to give
quiet concessions to customers for the purpose
OF securing trade when there has apparently
been no actual decline in prices; and, upon the
other hand. when business begins to improve
the f1rmer feeling which prevails renders such
concessions difficult to obtain, even though
prices are not quotably higher. The estimates
which builders were able to furnish last winter
and spring, therefore, were lower than to-day
not only because of the advance which has ac-
tually since occurred in some materials. but be-
cause of the concessions which were then pos
Sible in others.
Ordinary building lumber and shingles. clap
boards, &C., are not quotably higher to-day than
at the beginning of the year, but the Eastern
mills are generally running full and are APP
preaching position where they can take their
pick of orders. In the West a material advance
has occurred on finishing stock and the retail
dealers are talking OF corresponding advance
here.
Hardwood lumber for finishing purposes is
also firmer and ash and cherry will cost some
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 decline
OF from 8 to per cent.
The cost of plumbing house to-day Is from
90 to 25 per cent. greater than on the 1st of jan
Observation-Disclosures and Builder for NoreRl-