The evening times., 1899-07-17
TRUSTS and BUILDING
High Prices on Materials killing a
Prospective Boom.
Bricks. Plumbing. Hardware, MILL
work. Linseed Oil, and Many Other
Necessities Controlled by the New
Combines Advance to Prohibitiye
LeSeIs-A Correspondents Views.
.ro the Editor Of The Times:

tiplied during the last six months, has
been most keenly felt by the building
merchants, mechanics, and laborers. The
increase in the price of building materials
has not cnIy retarded trade, but il has so
affected the progress of the city that the
stagnation in building especially in the
suburbs, is almost complete.
Prospective builders who, last winter,
before the brick lumber, nail, paint, ana
other relative trusts were formed, failed
10 contract for their materials, are bi-ing
their time to build; whereas hundreds OF
dwellings would have been erected a1d
thousands of dollars would have been dis
bursed this spring and summer among
hundreds OF tradesmen, mechanics, ana
laborers whose bush SIS or employment
now remains at a standstill or uncertain.
Had II not been for the formation OF
these trusts, there would have been this
year a boom in building such as this Dis
trict has seldom enjoyed. This boon
would have been the natural sequence OF
the great increase in the amount OF capl-
tai put into circulation here by the Coy
ernment during the last two years. Never
was a period in the history or THIS DIS
trict so auspicious for a building boom un-
I'll these trusts were formed and the con-
sequent advance in prices came Ihen
the builder, confronted with a 20 per cent
increase over his original estimate, natu-
rally hesitated and exclaimed:
u shall wait until prices fall i cannot
now afford TO build nor will pay this trlb-
ute to the trusts.
As house building is a most interesting
subject to the ordinary citizen, the eHpe-
rience of a man who has just run the CANT
lei OF the combinations and built himself
a modest house in the suburbs will be star
Ting to many Of the readers of The Times.
Said he:
There being a good many mechanics
idle last December, the prices of building
materials then being moderate, and the
project promising TO fall within reasonable
cost. / decided to build by personal ar
rangement and supervision.
1t happened that one week before l
ordered my bricks for the cellar all the
wards ia the District combined and raised
prices 81 a thousand, the quotations being
Sc for salmon. 81 for arch, and IS for red,
ordinary merchantable brick. Thus on the
36 600 bricks which / bought for the cellar,
chimneys, etc, there was a levy cf SSo-
That was what il cost NE for delaying my
order one week and yet / found that TINS
trust was delivering all grades OF brick in
a d
agreements with favored customers, made
Just prior TO the combination.
The first lot of nails, Chesapeake eight
penny cut cost SLIGO a keg. These mad
been selling much lower. But the nail
trust was beginning to control the market
The next lot, practically the same KIND oil
nails. bought on March 4, was $3.50 keg.
The first lot Of Lowell Tin bought ioi
flashing. cost Sl1. so a box. Six additional
boxes OF the same tin purchased ten days
later. were $3.50 a box. On the nails ant
Tin / chipped in a contribution TO the trus
of SIS.
For hardware in the house the total bill
was SIPS. This included locks, nails, win
dow-weights, etc, and my bills show con
stantly increasing charges, running throu5i
the time of building, for hardware Bu
this was not all. The trusts were appar
emily testing my endurance-to see II
would not get tired and quit the work
Finding. however that i was determined L
push ahead, they dived into my pockets Il
real earnest.
The sanitary regulations of the Distrie
prohibit terra Gotta pipe being used II
plumbing My house required 220 feet O
four-inch cast iron piping. This being tn
case. / discovered that there was yer.
efficient pipe trust in operation OF tn
several bids for plumbing, not including
the kitchen range or gas piping and chan
deliers, the lowest was S37S. This / ha'
to accept There is no alternative here II
plumbing matters. You do ii either in
prescribed manner or the Police Cour
hires a plumber to do it-aI your cost Th
plumber. however, said when he got th'
contract:
1t is a great pity you did not give VI
your order thirty days ago. We woul'
have bid fully SIS less than the price fo
which we can now do it
"And he showed me the wholesalers cir
cular putting up prices on iron pipe from /
cents TO % cents per foot, and like ad
vances on lead pipe and all the materia
required in his trade. My plumbing as
sessment to the trusts was about 25 pc
cent.
In the winter looked at a lot of chan
deliers, and retained memoranda of m,
selections, amounting to s65. ! did no
purchase until spring, and to my DISCUS
was then compelled to pay $50 for my lot
The dealer told me that there had beel
an advance of nearly so per cent
Il ordered tile fire place from a lead
ing dealer for $l3 and told him ! would OF
der another like it next day. The follow
ing day the price had advanced to SIS.
I'm the winter / fortunately contracte
for all the mill work-doors, sash, trim
etc. On this ] escaped the trusts; but thi
pleasure is somewhat marred by tn
knowledge that the firm which filled tn
order did not so al actual loss of over So
II bought raw linseed oil at 40 cents
gallon and white lead at S5.25 a hundred
This was in February. About that tim
the Linseed Oil Trust was organized and
noticed that their prospectus said il Wa
not their intention to raise prices to III
consumer, but merely TO steady the trad
and give ii stability i bought some
their product within a week afterward an
the prices had advanced SO per cent. / Wa
thus touched for bonus of about IS O
forty gallons.
Il may here remark that one factor
this building remained without advance.
was not compelled to increase wages OF
cent. Had the work been in the hands ,
a contractor, finding himself squeezed
every direction for necessary materials
IS quite certain he would have reduce
wages in order TO get out with a min
mum loss"
The above is an enumeration of only
few of the important items OF increas'
cost of building, due in almost every Il
stance to the organization of the trust
Thus a man under present conditions WI
tries to put his money into circulation
giving employment to his fellows out
work is confronted on every hand in eve
composite of the proposed structure by
combination against him and in restrai
of trade
As stated. the result of all this adyan
In prices is stagnatfon in building i
vestors are not compelled to build whi
such condition exists They are holdi,
of in the hope of falling prices or un
the life OF trade-competition-i restore
The retailers who stock up on high pric
will eventually have TO let go on the CO
sumers' terms.
An examination of the present schedr
OF prices and the quotations of six mont